VINCTUS SSHG
by Severus Sortiarius
Summary: Following the Battle of Hogwarts and the defeat of Voldemort, wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape spends five long years in Azkaban, before a very much alive Dumbledore came to speak on his behalf, As a result Snape is released but after living like a caged animal is seemingly unable to return to his normal self, enter Hermione Granger to help.
1. Prolouge:Stay of Execution

_**VINCTUS SSHG**_

 **A SS/HG fanfic by Severus Sortiarius**

 **A/N:I OWN NOTHING, This is for my amusement and others if you feel so incline to venture with me...The Characters and all rights Belong to J.K. Rowling, but I like to venture into her playground...particularly when it comes to a certain Potions Master...No Money is being made off this...and I'm quite alright with that...Stress relief and letting my imagination run wild is all I care about here...and of course Reviews...I'll try and watch my spelling but it does tend to go awry in the heat of the moment when typing so bare with me...This is not my first fanfic but my first to probably be published...RATED M and it's not changing...I won't be as descriptive as some other writers out of respect to the characters, but I will make them HUMAN.**

 **WARNING: Contains Mature Content...M FOR MATURE...Violence, Abuse, Torture, Sexual Content, Dark Themes, Language, Imprisonment**

 _ **{"This Is How I Show My Love...I Made It In My Mind Because...Blame It On My ADD...Baby...This is how an angel dies...Blame It On My Own Surprise...My Be I Should Cry For Help...Maybe I Should Kill Myself...Blame It On My ADD..."}Sail, Awolnation**_

 **Prologue** **: _Stay of Execution_**

 _Outside Hogwarts, Wizarding World..._

 **H** eat had been the only thing he could feel. His flesh being sear as he crawled helplessly onto the mud riddled ground. His pale lean frame blanketed with the brown darkened mud that surrounded him. His heart had been beating thunderously in his chest. His breaths short in between the sharp spikes of pain that ripped through his body. Obsidian eyes sought a way out, his survival instincts kicking into over drive. The ache persisted with him clutching his right forearm in agony. The Dark Lord had been defeated, his mark forever scaring the flesh of those that drank in the intoxicating brew of his venomous poison and joined his ranks. Death eaters they called them. How one would eat death is beyond the reasonable minds of the thinking wizard but that is what they were named none the less. The shoulder length raven hair had been so wet that it stuck to the sallow cheeks of the one such, death eater.

More pain had sent him curling up on his side in agony.

His keen ears picked up the faint trace of the two voices. One male, enraged dripping with hatred and the other female, sorrowful and filled with fear, not just for her companion but for the ailing death eater.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE SNAPE!" shouted the male.

"Don't do this, Harry this isn't right." said the female.

In a instant the death eater known as Severus Snape knew who they had been. The enraged male none other than that pompous brat Potter and the ever compassionate Miss Granger. He had been just out of the castle on his way to his destination when the fall of Voldemort had been assured. Harry Potter, hot off the victory of slaying The Dark Lord, came after him with his so-called righteous anger for the murder of the infamous Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, former Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Snape had tired to tell the self-righteous Potter that he knew nothing of what he spoke of. That Dumbledore had not been truly dead but the stupid brainless prat refused to listen. All the years of his so-called hatred for the dour man blinded him to the truth of the facts. Out of everyone who had been in ear shot, only Miss Granger had considered that such a possibility had to be considered.

Miss Granger, her voice had been soft like an angels but the pain had been too much to focus on anything. She was clearly trying to tell Harry not to murder the current Headmaster of Hogwarts that the wizarding world would want a trial for Snape as apposed to their Hero committing murder.

"What if you're wrong Harry?" she asked. "What if Professor Snape is telling the truth and you murder him?"

Irate Potter's green eyes filled with only hate glared down at the broken man lying in the mud twitching as tremors racked his lean body. He had been in a great deal of pain and it would only get worse.

"HE KILLED DUMBLEDORE!" shouted Harry irate. "HE'S AS BAD AS VOLDEMORT!"

"Harry." said Hermione trying to reason with him.

"I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!" continued Harry. "DUMBLEDORE TRUSTED HIM AND SNAPE JUST KILLED HIM!"

Hermione sighed.

"Harry, please." she said. "Just let the courts handle this."

The green eyed wizard glared at Snape. There were no words to describe the rage behind the young Potter's eyes.

"You'll get what you deserve Snape." he said bitterly. "Wither they punish you or not."

Hermione had tried to say something to calm her friend but Harry simply stormed off gripping his wand tighter than ever before. The rain continued to come down as the Gryffindor witch looked over at the downed Professor. He had risked so much in the past, spying for the order, he had even jumped in front of a werewolf to protect them despite his well documented fear of the creature. She had not understood it when Harry came declaring that he had been right about Snape all along, that Snape was a murderous traitor that served only Voldemort.

He lied there on his side shaking as the rain continued to come down, his face swollen from the many cuts and bruises, his left eye swollen shut. Harry had been brutal in his assault on the current Headmaster of Hogwarts. He used his various spells to bid and beat a powerless Snape while he writhed in agony from the dark mark dissipating. Like with the other death eaters, Voldemort's death had left him unable to defend himself.

Hermione had barely recognized her friend as he set about cursing and hexing Professor Snape. His green eyes filled with rage and pure hatred. The nearly silent screams of the man clad in ebony robes as he reacted to the pain that ripped through his body sent the young bushy haired witch into tears. Even now her amber eyes had been filled with sadness as she looked him over.

"I'm so sorry Professor." she said softly. "If you are indeed innocent I'm sure it will be proven soon enough."

Snape could not reply as she kneeled down beside him in the mud. He could feel her hands as she stroked his slashed cheek with her soft touch. He winced as she never broke eye contact with him. She had not been able to shake image of him blocking Lupin's vicious claw from striking her with his body. He had not even given it a single thought before he absorbed the blow.

His obsidian eyes fixed on her.

"W-why?" he rasped as he looked at her.

"Because you don't deserve this." she said softly.

Her sweet voice was the last thing he had heard before everything went black. He had not been able to get the way she looked at him out of his mind as the darkness enveloped him. She seemed to care a great deal for him. Or maybe it had been the Gryffindor guilt setting in. She couldn't have possibly cared for an old death eater clinging to what was left of his miserable existence could she?


	2. Chapter 1: The Trial of Severus Snape

**Chapter 1:** _ **The Trial of Severus Snape**_

 _ **{"My Tea's Gone Cold...I Wondering Why...I Got Out Of Bed At All...The Morning Rain Clouds Up My Window...And I Can't See At All...And Even If I Could It Would All Be Gray...Put Your Picture On My Wall...It Reminds Me That...It's Not So Bad...It's Not So Bad..."}Thank You, Dido**_

 _ **T**_ hunder rumbled with a particular vicious intent. The early morning sky had still been as black as night and there had been no sign of the sun nor the moon and stars. The roads would no doubt be slick with all the wetness and the cool air that had come in as a result of all the rain had made it equally unbearable. The sound of an alarm clock went off in the quiet little flat on 4th street. A place that had been home to none other than Hermione Jean Granger. The young witch, and daughter of dentists had seemed to have done pretty well for herself in the wake of Voldemort's fall at the heads of the Order of Phoenix and Harry Potter. The battle of Hogwarts had been all that was talked about for months since it's hard fought conclusion. The wizarding world was doing it's best to recover and put things back to normal. All the remaining followers of Voldemort were rounded up and sentenced to Azkaban.

The reason for Hermione Granger's early rising had been that a trial was to take place for one such death eater, her former Professor Severus S. Snape was being tried for his crimes as a follower of Voldemort and the biggest charge was for the murder of the infamous Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, former Headmaster of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Snape had taken over as Headmaster in the wake of Dumbledore's death and ran the school with the Carrow twins, Alecto and Amycus, following the orders of Voldemort himself. Or at least that is what the official report said about him.

 _Hermione Granger's Flat, Wizarding World..._

 _ **5:00AM**_

The amber eyes of Hermione Granger sprang open as the morning rain beat against the outside of her bedroom window. She willed herself out of bed and made her way toward the loo. This was to be a very important morning for her as Severus Snape was finally being tried for the murder of Albus Dumbledore. Since the fall of Voldemort and his death eaters at the hands of Harry, Ron, and herself of course, people have been more inclined to listen to them on matters such as this.

Harry had been adamantly pushing for Snape's execution for the murder of Dumbledore. Ron had not been sure about murdering a man that had once saved his life despite the crime, he was more comfortable with Snape getting life in Azkaban. If he was guilt then he'd be off the streets and he'd serve his time without them having to have his death on their conscience. Hermione had believed that Snape was innocent of the charges and that he was always truly Dumbledore's man.

The difference in opinion was not a very popular one with Harry Potter having the ear of the wizarding world. He had killed Voldemort and the last time they had not heeded his warnings Voldemort returned and nearly destroyed them all so they were more than happy to side with The-Boy-Who-Lived on this. Hermione fought tirelessly to get Snape's execution appealed. She had been a war hero as well and a highly respected member of the wizarding community as much as Harry had been.

The bushy haired witch formerly of Gryffindor house made her way back into her bedroom. Dozens of copies of _The Daily Prophet_ had littered her tables and chairs keeping up with the trial, it had been the biggest news in the wizarding world since Voldemort's fall. It didn't surprise Hermione that Professor Snape wasn't particularly well liked by the wizarding community. He had not really been all that friendly with anyone outside of Hogwarts staff and The Malfoy family.

She did think it was rather sad that Snape had no one really in his corner despite the lack of social skills he had exhibited over the years. Snape was a good teacher despite complaints about his attitude and he looked after his students. It had been even more sad that not even Slytherin house graduates wanted to be associated with him after the news broke. The Malfoy's were simply trying to recover from the war and Lucius' stint in Azkaban.

With a sigh, Hermione put down the newspaper she had been reading and proceeded to make herself some tea to get her day started. It was going to be a rather long one if the wizarding world had anything to say about it.

 _Azkaban, Wizarding World..._

The obsidian eyes of Severus Snape opened and the gray hued cell he found himself thrown into had been the first thing he took in. The second thing he registered was the pain from having his face pressed against the cold gray stone floor. He had only been in this place for a week and already he had, had enough. Snape took a breath and the scent of wet earth mixed with rotted flesh filled his nostrils. A wave of nausea over took him and he found himself retching into a broken barrel that was apparently to be used for a loo.

The Potions Master fell back onto the floor staring up at the ceiling in nothing but his worn black trousers. His robes and frock coat had been removed when he was taken to the interrogation room. His wrists had been scared from the irons that had held him in place as he received "the royal treatment" for famous prisoners such as himself. His back bore the slashes of a magical whip and still bled some as he layed there numb to much of the pain. The rain continued to pour down outside, the only other sound to drown out the screams of agony from the other prisoners.

Snape took a breath as the images of a young witch with amber eyes filled with compassion and sorrow met his. Hermione Granger had been his only friend through out all of this. She couldn't seem to register that it didn't matter if he had been innocent of the charges. It was Harry Potter's hatred of him that had landed him in this place and nothing she did would ever change that. The brat would get his way, he had saved the wizarding world from the dark lord did he not?

The beaten Potions Master closed his eyes listening to the sound of the water beating against the prison as the cool breeze blew in. His cell was becoming damp but this was as close to a shower as he had gotten since his arrival. The pressing matter of his trial had been looming for a few days now. He knew that Harry Potter wanted his execution and that Hermione Granger wanted him to have a fair trial. Even Ron Weasley wasn't opposed to giving him Life in Azkaban, he had saved their lives after all.

The Golden trio had appeared to be at odds. Something he never would have expected, least of all to have the insufferable know-it-all Hermione Granger be his champion.

 _Ministry of Magic, Wizarding World..._

Hermione arrived at the Ministry of Magic building a bit late due to the rain. She had lost her umbrella halfway through travel, missed the bus she was scheduled to be on chasing it, ran three blocks to get to an apparation point, and finally got her with a minor splinch in her shoulder which she had to fix immediately before the trial. She had been soaked to the bone as she entered the building and cast a drying spell on herself so that she didn't catch a cold. She took a breath and entered the courtroom hearing the officials speak as the proceeding had already gotten underway.

"The fact remains that Severus Snape had been a death eater once before and only just wormed his way into Dumbledore's good graces so that he could do the bidding of the dark lord." said the prosecutor ."Once he got close enough to the old Headmaster he killed him as pro the instruction of Voldemort himself."

Snape sat quietly as the people discussed his past misdeeds and why he is such an unlikable person.

"He's the dark lords right hand!" shouted someone from the public seats.

"KILL HIM!" shouted another.

"We don't need scum like him!" shouted yet another random person.

Hermione felt more sadness as the Potions Master sat quietly while everyone around him spit their venom. The bushy haired witch took her seat. It had been directly in front of Snape, who held his gaze on her as wizards and witches alike continued to speak out against him. Snape had been beaten a great deal during his stay and the bruises and broken bones went unnoticed by the very people that argued over his fate. The sight of him in such a state brought Hermione Granger to tears despite her brave face.

{Do not cry over me.} said a voice in her mind.

Hermione looked around confused until she noticed that Snape had not shifted his gaze from her.

{"Professor Snape?"} she asked in her mind.

{Do not cry over me.} he repeated. {Do not give these fools the satisfaction of reducing you to tears.}

{"Professor...why is this happening?"} asked Hermione. {"Why do so many people hate you?"}

{That Little Gryffindor, is like asking the sun why it gives light or the stream why it is always wet.} he replied. {I was never particularly liked by anyone...not even my own parents.}

{"But all the good that you've done for people..."} she started.

{"Means nothing."} replied Snape. {Especially with your precious Potter running the show.}

{"What...Harry what's he got to do with this?"} asked Hermione.

{It is very simple Little Gryffindor, he is the one pushing for my execution.} said Snape. {They will comply with the so-called savior of the wizarding world...if only to shut him up.}

{"But Professor this isn't right."} said Hermione.

{You would be surprised Little Gryffindor what little right and wrong have to do with our actions.} replied Snape.

{"Professor Are you really innocent?"} asked Hermione.

{Why does it matter?} he asked. {They're going to send me to Azkaban anyway.}

{"H-How do you know that?"} she asked.

{It is considered the less messy route to take.} replied Snape. {Why have Dumbledore's killer get a quick death when they can satisfy their people's blood-lust with a long slow death by way of torment?}

Hermione's amber eyes widened.

A court official read off the verdict.

"Severus Sebastian Snape rise." said the prime minister.

Snape got to his feet albeit painstakingly. Not one person showed an ounce of sympathy outside of Hermione Granger.

"Severus Sebastian Snape, for the murder of Albus Percival Wulfic Brian Dumbledore, I hereby sentence you to life in Azkaban." said the prime minister.

Snape looked at Hermione who was about to get to her feet.

{NO!} shouted Snape in her mind. {Go home little Gryffindor, your sense of justice has no place here..A tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny.}

{"Professor, are you innocent?"} she asked him.

Snape gave her a small smile.

{For your piece of mind Little Gryffindor you are entitled to the truth.} he said. {Yes, I am innocent...Albus Dumbledore is still very much alive.}

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing.

{Go home little Gryffindor.} was the last thing Snape said to her.

Harry Potter had been fuming when the verdict came back that Snape would get to live after everything he had done. The green eyed wizard jumped over the railing glaring into the obsidian eyes of his former professor. The beaten and bound wizard had still towered above him height wise.

"The dementors will be pleased to see you Snape." taunted Harry. "Now you will know the fear that Sirius had to live with."

Snape's face had been an emotionless mask.

"I'd rather face the dementors than see your face again Potter." he replied. "Mark my words son of the pompous prat James, you WILL regret this."

"Is that a threat Snape?" asked Harry enraged.

Snape simply smirked.

"No Potter, it is a prediction." he replied. "And unlike that hack Trelawney's past work, this one is indeed true...Albus Dumbledore will return and the wrong that you all have committed here will follow you for the rest of your lives."

Harry launched himself at Snape and the two of them went down to the floor. Snape glared at the ungrateful brat that he had saved all these years. The green eyed wizard struck the bound Potions Professor in his already bruised face repeatedly before Ron pulled him off at the behest of Hermione.

"YOU SHOULD BE DEAD SNAPE!" shouted an irate Harry. "I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU MYSELF!"

Ron pulled Harry to the side in a bid to calm him.

Hermione kneeled beside the downed Snape who's jaw had been bleeding. She attempted to clean him but was unsuccessful with Snape being dragged by the guards and punished for upsetting the great Harry Potter.

"Stop this!" said Hermione unable to take what was happening. "He's already going to prison...stop hitting him!"

{Stay out of this!} warned Snape. {There is nothing more that you can do for me now.}

The guards pulled Snape away still beating him with magical clubs as they did. Hermione wiped the tears from her cheeks. This was wrong. Snape was an innocent man and now he was being tortured for a crime he didn't commit all because Harry did not seem to like the man and would not listen to reason.

{"You're wrong."} she said in her mind unsure if he could hear her. {"There is something I can do...You don't deserve this, Professor."}


	3. Chapter 2: Perdition

**Chapter 2:** _ **Perdition**_

 _ **{"Court Is In Session, A Verdict Is In...No Appeal On The Docket Today Just My Own Sins...The Walls Cold And Pale...The Cage Made Of Steel...Screams Fill The Room...Alone I Drop And Kneel...Silence Now The Sound...My Breath The Only Motion Around...Demons Clutter Around...My Face Showing No Emotion...Shackled By My Sentence...Expecting No Return..."}My Own Prison, Creed**_

 _ **{A/N: Today is my deceased father's birthday and I was feeling kind of morbid so I created this story...Please no condolences about the man, he wasn't much of a father to me...possibly about as useful as Tobias was to Severus. Just wanted to let you know why this story was created with a dark tone.}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and Reviewers- I can't seem to get to much of them, there appears to be something wrong with the review thing on FFN...as always Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Prison of Azkaban, Wizarding World..._

 **Five Years Later...**

 **S** ickeningly gray walls lined the damp space that he called home for the last five years. His tattered robes only fit to cover the dirty pale form that had once been lean now bordered on skeletal with the amount of ribs in view. The cold that seemed to fill the place went to the bone and seemed to seep into the very being of those that were harbored here. Prisoner 19763 was no exception. His raven hair in wild strands had indeed been greasy as it curtained around his sallow cheeks. His normally pale hue had been ghastly since his arrival, a wild scraggly beard with white hairs had covered his once smooth shaven face. His obsidian eyes had been dead as rotted shell of Prisoner 19763 formerly known as Severus S. Snape stared out into space as a small rat found itself crushed between two crumbling bricks.

An eerie smile at the creatures suffering filed across his bony face. He imagined the rat to be Scabbers, or as his parents named him, Peter Pettigrew. Snape enjoyed the small mental victory seeing one of his tormentors meeting their end via the weight of this retched place. He had been silent since his arrival only giving out soft cries of agony as the guards took turns beating him within an inch of his life. As much as he wanted that sweet release it never seemed to come for him.

He figured they believed to be much too easy for the man that murdered Dumbledore. _Perhaps, it was._

Snape had been lost in the pool of his thoughts as the guards arrived. He had known that he was due for a beating, thus he retreated into the furthest reaches of his mind. They shackled him with heavy rusted irons binding his already thin wrists and ankles. He had barely the strength to stand as they supported his weight just for the convenience of chaining him.

"On your feet, you sack of horse shit." said one of the older guard.

Snape knew him well. He was a cruel man by the name of Karso, Elias Karso. He had been a former student of Hogwarts under Dumbledore and had been a big fan of the former Headmaster. He considered it his personal honor to show his murderer the hospitality his kind deserves at Azkaban.

"I said on your feet!" demanded Karso irate.

Snape slowly rose and obediently climbed to his feet. He said nothing as they chained him and lead him out of the cell that served as his home for five long years. He knew what was coming but like always he simply played his part.

 _Ministry of Magic Offices, Wizarding World..._

Hermione Granger had been present at the hearing for Severus S. Snape. She had called in every favor she could cashing in on her fame and the gratitude of the wizarding world. She had lost the love and admiration of his friends as a result of her actions but she continued to stand by Severus Snape despite all the guilt being layed at his feet. She couldn't believe that a man who risked his life day after day during two wars with Voldemort would just simply kill the man he went through all the trouble to change sides if he was just going to return to him? None of it had ever made any sense to Hermione so she just couldn't go along with the masses and label Snape guilty.

Harry had stopped talking to her and wanted nothing to do with her. Ron had been too spineless to form an opinion of his own about the Potions Professor so he backed Harry like the brainless prat he was. It had hit Hermione hard to know that one disagreement over Snape's true motives is why she lost her closest friends but she had been adamant about Snape's innocence from day one.

There was more to it than everyone was seeing. There had to be. Snape would not have just killed the man he considered like a father to him otherwise. Harry's prejudice and hatred for the man obviously clouded his judgement. Due to him killing Voldemort everyone in the wizarding world was willing to cow-tow to his every demand like parents of a spoiled child. As far as the wizarding world was concerned Snape was guilty, Harry threw a tantrum if anyone said otherwise.

So Hermione found herself alone in a world where Snape was public enemy number one, a pariah among her peers. It had been hard for her to find work outside of Hogwarts no one wanted to hire a Snape Sympathizer. She had it hard on the outside, being labeled as "Snape's whore" in _The Daily Prophet_ and having people harass her every chance they got. At one point her grades were called into question due to her so-called "relationship" with the former Headmaster Snape.

Despite all of this, Hermione remained in Snape's corner. She knew he had been innocent it was just a matter of proving it to the masses. After five years of a long fought battle alone, one could only imagine her surprise when Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore himself arrived late one afternoon when she tried yet another attempt to get Snape's case appealed.

Collective whispers and gasps had been all around as Dumbledore proved to any and all who would call Snape anything but a Selfless Hero that he was indeed alive and it had all be because of Severus Snape. He went on to point out how Snape served him during both wizarding wars as a spy for the Order of Phoenix and watched over The-Boy-Who-Lived without anyone's knowledge for many years. The countless beatings Snape took to ensure that Harry succeeded, the way he watched over Hogwarts during Voldemort's rise to power in the wake of Dumbledore's absence as he promised and that Snape chose Minerva McGonagall to be his successor helping her keep Hogwarts safe until his departure.

 _Azkaban, Wizarding World..._

The irons clanked as Snape hung by his bound wrists, his thin torso exposed as he received the first round of Karso's beating regiment. He could feel the blood oozing from the various slashes across his sickly complexion. He had been numbed to the pain a long time ago but he still managed to put on a good show for Karso. The sooner the wizard had his fun the sooner he could go back to his cell in peace. As the magical whip struck him again Snape's body jerked in response. He could hear the ragged breath from his tormentor and smirked. This was nothing compared to his service to The Dark Lord.

More blood from the broken skin but that was the extent of what this so-called treatment could do to him. Snape closed his eyes as a vision of a young witch with bushy hair and amber eyes came to him. Her gaze that locked onto him had been so filled with sorrow and compassion When he asked her why she had cared what happened to him, her words filled his ears like the sweetest song he had ever heard.

 _"Because you don't deserve this."_

Another crack from the magical whip and Snape found himself pulled back into the hell that had been arranged for him. One thing was for sure, Elias Karso was no Alastor Moody. Then again, if "Mad-Eye" had survived Snape never would have made it to Azkaban.

 _Courtroom, Ministry of Magic Building..._

The verdict on the final appeal of Severus S. Snape's case had been reached. In light of Albus Dumbledore's arrival and testimony on his former potions master's behalf, Snape was set free in by unanimous decision and a motion to award the Selfless war hero The Medal of Merlin in honor of his service and a way to smooth over any further legal action concerning the wrongful imprisonment of said hero. Dumbledore and Hermione headed over to Azkaban to deliver the good news to Snape themselves that he was a free man.

Hermione hugged Dumbledore as the tears streamed down her amber eyes in utter relief. She had been right all along when she defended Severus Snape against all odds. Soon the whole wizarding world would know the truth and they would all be sorry.

 _Azkaban, Wizarding World..._

Severus Snape woke up alone in his cell after another round of torture left him unconscious. The laughter from his captors still rang in his ears as he took in another breath. He had survived...again, but he had been too weak to revel in his minor victory. The blood from the wound on his head made his raven hair slick with a crimson tint. He attempted to crawl with whatever strength he could muster to his favorite corner in the darkness of his cell but his body just didn't respond.

 _Why do we do this day after day? Why fight to breath when it would be so much easier to just let go? They want me dead anyway why not give the people what they want?_

Amber eyes came to him like a vision filled with concern and compassion. She had been a truly beautiful young witch, almost like an angel.

 _"Because, you don't deserve this."_ _she said again._

Snape had passed out once more. When he awoke he found himself looking into those amber eyes again. The warm softness of human contact had been burning his sickeningly gray hued skin. The vision of Hermione Granger had begun to speak but her words seemed distorted as he felt himself slipping away.

"Professor Snape." she said worried. "Professor Snape, you're going to be okay."

The twinkling blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore came into view and Snape grinned with a lack of amusement. The sweat continued to pour down his face. The older wizard had been at a loss for words as he looked upon the sight that was Severus Snape.

"H-He's running a fever sir." Hermione not taking her eyes off Snape.

"Yes, it appears you're right Miss Granger." said Dumbledore sadly. "We must see to him soon...I don't know how much longer he'll be able to last."

Severus Snape had barely registered the weak glamour that had been placed upon him as Albus Dumbledore held him up by way of magic and he was taken outside the confines of Azkaban for the first time since his trial. Hermione Granger's amber eyes continued to watch him as they apparated to the outside of the Ministry of Magic building. A large crowd had gathered with a mix of anger and regret as Severus Snape was presented with the medal of Merlin for his service against Voldemort.

"We need to get him to St. Mungo's." said Hermione looking Snape over.

"Snape's been set free!" shouted an angry man in the crowd.

"SNAPE'S WHORE SAVED HIM FROM AZKABAN!" shouted another.

"MUDERER!" shouted yet another person in the crowd.

They had been so focused on hating Snape that they had not payed any attention to Dumbledore being alive and well before their very eyes. Hermione screamed people from the crowd began to pelt them with garbage in protest to Snape's receiving his medal and his recent release from Azkaban.

She had been so busy blocking the waves of garbage that she failed to notice that someone from the crowd drew their wand and attempted to hex her. Snape came to his senses as his adrenaline flooded his already taxed body. He saw the wizard going for his wand and aiming it at Hermione. Before he could try to imagine why someone would try to hurt one of the golden trio he broke away from Dumbledore's grasp exhausting the last of his magic as he absorbed the hex meant for Hermione Granger.

Everything faded to black as Snape collapsed onto the ground at Hermione's feet. The crowd scattered for fear that Snape had been murdered. They all saw that whomever cast the hex had used an unforgivable and wanted no part of officials set to work rounding protesters up and hailing them away for questioning.

Dumbledore levitated Snape and ensured that he had a grip on the now unconscious Potions Master and Hermione Granger as he apparated away from the Ministry of Magic building. The three figures disappeared into a black warp. News of Snape's release due to the exhaustive efforts of Hermione Jean Granger set the wizarding world ablaze with controversy.


	4. Chapter 3: Celare

**Chapter 3:** _ **Celare**_

 _ **{A/N: Still trying to get my rhythm with this story, for those of you who are reading Slytherin Prince SSHG, Obsidian Eyes, Ignis SSHG, and Salve SSHG, I am still working on those. They are in no way abandoned...I simply do not wish to rush through them and lose the characterizations I have in place, for Snape and Hermione...I will update those other stories soon, some sooner than others though.}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **H**_ arry Potter had been home in his sitting room when the news came in the form of a copy of _The Daily Prophet_ Ron Weasley had been reading. The hatred behind the green eyes of The-Boy-Who-Lived could melt a volcano. He became enraged at the aspect of the man escaping yet again. Ron had also informed Harry that Dumbledore has been sighted at the Ministry of Magic building and that it was he that took Snape and Hermione away after an incident with protesters.

He thought back to what Snape had told him at the trial about Dumbledore reappearing and how he was going to regret his stance on him being a murderer. Of course the idiot took it to mean that Snape had some kind of trick up his sleeve to break out of Azkaban and go free. It made the green eyed wizard fume at the prospect of it.

 _Had Snape really set all of this up?_

 _The so-called return of Dumbledore could not have been just a coincidence._

 _Unknown Location, Wizarding World..._

Hermione had no idea where Dumbledore decided to apparate them all to but from the looks of it, it was a rather large old house that seemed big enough for a large family to occupy. The house sat upon a lonely hill far from any neighbors or close shops. The old wizard smiled pleasantly at Hermione and turned his attention to the ailing Snape. The younger wizard had been unconscious during the trip and remained so since the attack at the Ministry of Magic building. The medal of Merlin dangled from his neck but the glamour had been off as he levitated in front of Dumbledore. The older wizard tussled the lank, greasy, raven hair of Snape affectionately.

"We will have you fixed up in no time my boy." he said softly.

He turned his attention to the house and as if he could read the young former Gryffindor witch's thoughts answered her questions about the place aloud.

"This was my great uncle's house." he said. "My family moved here when I was very young."

Hermione looked back at the house. It seemed to be in pretty good condition.

"Severus, was the only one who had known of it's existence after I made it unplottable during the war." said Dumbledore.

Hermione shifted her gaze back to The Headmaster.

"So you mean you were living in this house for the five years that everyone believed you were dead?" she asked.

Dumbledore sighed realizing how it sounded.

"Yes." he replied. "Although, I had no idea what was going on with the wards that Severus put in place for my protection."

Hermione turned her gaze back to Snape.

"You're protection?" she asked.

"I could not use my magic without being detected by Voldemort and his forces at the Ministry of Magic." explained Dumbledore.

He moved toward the house explaining to Hermione about his missing years along the way. The old wizard got Snape and Hermione inside and proceeded to make the house unplottable once more. Snape had been layed out on an old sofa still unconscious from his injuries. Hermione had been worried about the Potions Professor's overall health.

 _Inside Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Snape's fever seemed to be getting worse. Hermione had been startled as a wizard by the name of Aberforth Dumbledore appeared from one of the back rooms. He like his brother Albus, wore spectacles and had very bright blue eyes. He was also tall and thin, with a great deal of long, stringy grey hair and beard. Hermione had agreed with Harry's past assessment of him being a grumpy-looking old man.

"Ab." said Albus Dumbledore with a smile.

"Albus." said Aberforth in a gruff tone. "Apparently, we have guests."

"Yes." replied Albus.

Aberforth's blue eyes ran across the ailing Snape.

"That boy looks like hell." he said. "Thought as long as he had been gone that he'd been worm food by now."

"Ab." said Albus. "That is not a very nice thing to say."

"And when have you ever known me to be nice Albus?" asked Aberforth.

Albus Dumbledore shook his head with a sigh.

Aberforth walked over to Snape and grabbed him by the scruff of the collar. The Potions Master's head leaned back unsupported.

"Stupid boy." said Aberforth gruffly. "Always going off half-cocked, it's a wonder he hasn't managed to get himself killed."

Hermione had been utterly confused at the sight. If she had not known any better she could have sworn that Aberforth had actually cared about Snape.

"You stay here, Hermione." said Albus. "Ab and I will see to Severus."

Hermione watched as the Dumbledore brothers took Snape into the back. A few moments later she could hear Snape yelling and the two brothers arguing over what was best for him. After an hour Hermione got tired of the yelling and came to see what was going on. The two wizards had managed to clean Snape up well enough, he had no longer looked like walking death but he was still considerably thin. Headmaster Dumbledore and Aberforth had been arguing over how to feed him. Snape had been in clean muggle style clothing with his fever newly broken and several binding spells in place as he lied in bed.

"I say we just hold his mouth open and drop the soup down his throat." said Aberforth.

"As if there was any wonder about your bedside manner Ab." said Albus.

"He spits it back out every time you spoon feed it to him." said Aberforth. "Perhaps the boy isn't as dumb as he looks."

Albus shook his head and sighed.

It appeared they were going to have an uphill battle on their hands when it came to feeding Snape.

"Can I try?" asked Hermione getting the attention of both men.

"What makes you think you'll do any better?" asked Aberforth annoyed.

"He actually likes me." replied Hermione.

Aberforth scoffed and handed her the bowl.

Hermione was careful to put a cooling charm on it not putting it passed the gruff man to burn both her and Snape with the soup out of sheer spite. She took it into her small hands and Albus conjured a spoon for her. She leaned over toward Snape who seemed to still be out of it. The brothers had done a good job of cleaning him up and breaking his fever but they were lousy with bedside manner.

"Professor I need you to eat now." she said softly to him.

Snape looked at Hermione for a second weak from his body being taxed so heavily with his illness.

"Please." added Hermione sweetly.

Snape opened his mouth taking in the soup as she spoon fed it to him. The Dumbledore brothers watched shaking their heads.

"Well, how do you like that?" said Aberforth.

"It seems Hermione is better suited for this task." said Albus.

The two older wizards left her to continue feeding Snape alone. He continued to take in every spoonful of soup she had given him until he had eaten it all. Afterwards she covered him with an old quilt and left him to his rest. The first night in this strange place had been well on it's way to being over.

Hermione ventured into an empty room not far from the Potion Master's. She had been utterly exhausted herself with no desire to eat anything. It didn't take long for her to drift off to sleep as the events of the day flooded her mind against the background of Albus and Aberforth arguing over who was to do the shopping for the now full house.

This was going to be a long amount of whatever time they had in hiding, the only silver lining aside from not being dead was that, at least Professor Snape had finally been out of Azkaban.


	5. Chapter 4:The Ails of A Potions Master

**Chapter 4:** _ **The Ails of A Potions Master**_

 _ **{A/N: Still working on that rhythm thing...hopefully this comes out right.}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **R**_ ain had been coming down hard against the old house. The sound of it seemed to trickle into the pale ears of The Potions Master. His pale chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm as he took in air. His half opened and equally pale eyelids had done little to improve the glazed look that had come over him. Sweat soaked his body pouring off him in tiny streams wetting the crisp white sheets below him. His fogged mind could barely register the careful softness of two delicate hands as they traveled along his body. The feel of something rough with a cold wetness about it accompanied them. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out only a low moan in reaction to the pleasant contact. His ears picked-up the faint trace of a pleasant female voice spilling into them like sweet music.

He had been much to out of it to realize that Hermione Granger had been the source of the pleasantness. She had taken it upon herself to bath him with a cool wet cloth in a bid to lessen the effects of the fever that returned. Albus and Aberforth had gone out in a bid to obtain more supplies leaving the ailing professor in her care. They felt she had been better suited to deal with him ever since she had gotten him to eat when they couldn't. Snape seemed to do well whenever she had been around anyways.

When she had finished wiping him down, Hermione ventured into the kitchen and brought back a small bowl of warm soup. She sat down beside him careful not to spill any as she looked him over. He had still been pretty weak and the second bout with a fever had not been good. The young witch sighed and pooled some of the warm soup into the spoon she brought with it. It had mostly consisted of chicken broth to put something on the ailing man's stomach long enough to give him the strength to fight off his illness.

"Professor, I need you to eat now." said Hermione sweetly as she lowered the spoon to his pale lips.

Snape opened his mouth as before letting the warm soup she had prepared slide into the back of his throat. She produced another spoonful and he repeated his actions. His dark eyes still half closed as he looked into the eyes of his nurse maid. The scent of jasmine unmistakable as it filled his nostrils every time she came near him.

"You're doing very well, Professor." said Hermione. "Keep this up and you'll have your strength back in no time."

Snape would have scoffed had he the energy.

Once he had finished enough of the soup to satisfy the young witch, Hermione vanished the bowl back into the kitchen while she turned her attention to his bedding. She waved her wand casting a light levitation spell on the ailing man as she changed his sweat soaked sheets and pillow cases. When she finished she lowered Snape back down to the bed. He had looked so fragile against the plush white pillows and crisp sheets. Hermione could not imagine what he must have gone through during the last five years but she was pleased that he was alive.

The young witch could not help herself as she stroked his clammy cheek with her warm soft hand. A low moan came from him in reaction to her touch. She could hardly keep back the tears that threatened to spill from her amber eyes. He was the strongest wizard she had ever known, able to defy Voldemort during both wizarding wars, look after Hogwarts after being forced to "kill" his predecessor, wade through all the hate and rage of the wizarding community, serve five years in the most heinous prison in the wizarding world complete with scorn and daily beatings. She couldn't imagine him being brought down by such a small thing as a fever.

"We'll get you well again, Professor." Hermione promised as she continued to softly stroke his cheek.

Another low moan had been all she received in reply.

 _Hermione's Room, Dumbledore Manor..._

Tears spilled in small streams down the cheeks of the bushy haired witch as she entered her temporary bedroom. Seeing the Potions Professor in such a state had broken her heart. She had never believed that he deserved to be sent to Azkaban and it was proven that she had been right all along. Only it was a bitter sweet victory with all that Snape had to suffer to get to this point. She didn't understand how Harry could be so cold hearted. This man risked a great deal to keep the green eyed wizard safe and all he got in return for his dedication was more pain and suffering.

Hermione had not known what hour it had been when she opened her eyes disoriented as she woke from sleep. The sound of strained screams filled her ears and she jolted out of bed. The bushy haired witch scrambled out of the room with her heart beating wildly in her chest. She knew without a doubt whom it was that had been doing the screaming. She had not known if it was a nightmare or some new pain that had set in but she was determined to help him.

 _Snape's Room, Dumbledore Manor..._

Snape's body had been arched in agony as his wrists gripped the edges of the bed. The images of the guards flooding his cell in Azkaban had filled his mind as they beat him unconscious with magical clubs. Visions of dead bodies as gray as the walls of his cell with cold dead eyes stared at him with faces twisted in horror. Hermione had managed to get to him. Her soothing voice the only anchor of calm that kept him from floating away into the sea of despair. He could feel the young witch's soft hands against his skin. The heat from the fever still running rampant through out his body.

"Shhh." said Hermione softly. "It's okay Professor...you're safe...everything is going to be fine."

She stroked his blazing forehead and like a cat he leaned into her touch as if desperate for more contact. Saw the tears that had been streaming down his pale sallow cheeks seemingly of their own volition. His raven hair slick with sweat as it stuck to her fingers as they rested on his forehead.

He let out another soft moan at the contact. Hermione decided in that moment that she would not leave his side. The bushy haired witch sighed and curled up into the large bed beside her former Professor. If he had another screaming fit she would be able to calm him sooner. The witch looked at the clock that had been on the far wall opposite where they lay in bed. It was getting late and neither Albus nor Aberforth had returned from their supply run.

 _Later..._

Hermione awoke to find that she had been in bed alone. The spot where Snape had been laying was empty but barely warm. The bushy haired witch bolted out of bed in time to see Snape making his way from the loo. He had looked ghastly without Albus Dumbledore to improve his appearance with charms though he had not been as bad as he had when she saw him in the cell back in Azkaban. The former Potions Professor's shoulder length raven hair hung in long greasy strands blocking much of the view of his sallow face.

Snape had still been plenty weak as it would seem when he tried too soon to take a step forward and lost balance. Hermione helped lessen his fall but only so much as he collapsed with his dead weigh bringing the slender little witch down to the floor with him. His trembling form more of an embarrassment than a threat as his body covered hers. She looked up at him seeing the shame in his eyes at the inability to get his own body to function. He had managed to get himself into the loo but his luck had seemed to have run out before he got the chance to do much else.

It had only taken a moment for the witch to note that he had been clammy all over as his exposed skin came in contact with her clothes passing on some of the wetness. Hermione maneuvered just enough to reach her wand to cast a levitation spell that lifted him off her and gently into the air. Hermione managed to get Snape back to his room and back into bed. He watched her not saying a word, thought she wasn't sure if he could. He moaned like usual when she let her soft hands roam along his rigid pale form. The warmth from her touch had been apparently welcome as well.

After another hour, both Hermione and Snape had fallen asleep. He was still in the same spot on the bed stretched out on his back with her small frame curled up in the fetal position next to him. It had been innocent enough with her waking up every so often to ensure that he had still been there. She had decided that she definitely could not leave him to sleep alone with them being the only two beings inside the large house and her room being so far when an emergency could occur. He had not seemed to mind it when she slept beside him, she supposed it had been because it reminded him in at least a small way that he had not been back in Azkaban.


	6. Chapter 5:A Girl With Strawberry Hair

**Chapter 5:** _ **A Girl With Strawberry Hair**_

 _ **{"I feel You...Do They Think That Walls Can Hide You...Even Now I'm At Your Window...I Am In The Dark Beside You...I'd Want You Beautiful And Pale The Way I've Dreamed You Were...And If You're Beautiful...What Then...I Think We Shall Not Meet Again...My Little Dove...My Sweet...You're Gone And Yet You're Mine..."} Johanna, Sweeney Todd**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **A**_ gony ripped through the ailing Potions Master as his mind sent him hurling into the abyss shattering the glass fragments of his most precious memories. Had the assault been physical one could have seen how deep the shards pierced through his pale skin and into the very core of his being as if aimed meticulously into his very soul. The tears of salt and sorrow trailed down his sallow pale cheeks of their own volition as the image of her beautiful innocent face came to him as clear as the cursed day he was born. Her emerald green eyes and strawberry red hair with vibrancy he had not ever seen before or since. His treacherous heart beat wildly in his chest the blood in his vein running cold as he drank in the image like a child with access to too much sweet punch. He choked on a sharp breath that hitched in the back of his throat.

 _{ The grass had been bright green that day. The brightest he had ever seen it when Nine year old Severus Sebastian Snape ventured from the familiar wretched shack that was Spinner's End in a bid to avoid an utterly drunken Tobias as he pulled a will-less Eileen inside the house. He had been much too young to know what would happen to his long suffering mother that afternoon but the effects would register later in the day a vague blotch on the otherwise perfect memory._

 _Severus ventured in a makeshift suit with dirty worn trainers on his rather large pale feet. The black coat had been old with many seam from various patches all of different color and material ranging from blue to gray. His mother had taken to stitching up his clothes with patches from old rags and hand-me downs from either her attire or his father's. The trousers that covered his thin pale legs had been much too short, he had grown several inches and they rode high with each step. He wore no socks beneath his trainers, the flimsy material barely protected against intrusion and rubbed his sweaty pale feet raw as he ventured in them._

 _Young Severus had not known how long he had been walking, only that he needed to get as far way from the house as possible so that the screams from his mother did not upset his stomach. The thin pale boy had continued even as the sky cleared signaling that he had ventured far into another neighborhood. The boy found that he had liked the sweetness of the clean air and it caused him to want to explore this new place that had been so far from Spinner's End._

 _Walking still with his uneven hair cut rising and falling against his ears with each step. He found himself in a clearing with a large oak tree with a knot carved hole big enough for someone such as himself to hide. The very instant the hiding place had been found, Severus felt safe. He deduced that Tobias would never venture this far or be able to find him on those scary days. He could hide here and venture back for whatever passed for supper that night._

 _Severus entered the hiding place only intending to try it out when he heard the sound of what appeared to be two girls talking. He listened unsure if he should venture out and make himself known._

 _"Freak!" said the voice of an older girl. "You're a freak!"_

 _Severus peeked out from his hiding place just enough to see if the girl had some how spotted him. His obsidian eyes fell on Petunia Evans for the first time. He did not think much of the girl except she had apparently been his age with long dark hair that fell to her back. She wore a dress of yellow cotton with little white flower printed on it all over._

 _"I'm telling Mommy, you're a freak!" said the girl he would come to know as Petunia._

 _The obsidian eyes of young Severus shifted as he took in the sight of the most beautiful little girl he had ever seen in his entire life. Her strawberry red hair more vibrant to him than a flame. She was smaller than the other girl possibly age seven or eight. She had been younger than him but that had not stopped the rapid beating of his innocent heart when he looked upon her._

 _Her cruel sister took off toward what he would guess had been their home. The saddened little girl with red hair looked down at the flower she had made come to life for her sister before the other girl slapped it out of her hand and called her a freak. Severus had not known this girl but something in him snapped and he wanted nothing more than to protect her from any and all harm. Even if that harm came from her own sister. With his heart swelling with something he could not readily describe Severus Sebastian Snape did the bravest thing a boy his age and background could manage._

 _He ventured from his hiding place and picked up a blade of grass as the sad little girl's emerald green eyes fell on him. He opened his hand mimicking the gesture she had shown her sister and his magic coursed through him as he focused it onto the blade of grass. The sad little red haired girl smiled when the blade of grass fluttered to life much like the flower she held._

 _It was the first time Severus had openly displayed magic of his own volition. Most of the time his powers had come about by accident adding to his long suffering mother's distress as she tried to contain it and train him to conceal it properly. When Tobias found out about it he called him a "little useless freak" and beat him almost unconscious in a bid to "correct his weirdness"._

 _"What's your name?" asked the little red haired girl clearly no longer sad._

 _"M-My name is Severus." he said fumbling over the words his voice uneasy and quiet. "Severus S. Snape."_

 _"I'm Lily." said the little red haired girl with emerald green eyes. "Lily Evans."_

 _"I-It's nice to meet you, Lily." said Severus finding confidence in the sweetness of her smile._

 _"You can do strange things too?" asked Lily._

 _"Not strange...magical." said Severus. "We do magic...I'm a wizard...so you must be a witch."_

 _"A witch?" asked Lily innocently._

 _"Well, yes." said Severus. "That's what girls who can do magic are called...my mother's a witch."_

 _Lily perked at this._

 _"So there are other girls like me." she said. "Who can do magic?"_

 _Severus smiled politely at her._

 _"Yes." he said finding he had been a natural at explaining things. "There are also other boys that can do magic as well...other wizards."_

 _"How come I can do magic?" asked Lily. "My Mommy's not a witch."_

 _"Perhaps, your father is a wizard then." replied Severus._

 _"I don't think so." replied Lily. "I believe I'm the only one in my whole family that can do magic."_

 _Severus considered this._

 _"Oh." he said. "You must be Muggle-born."_

 _"What's a Muggle-born?" asked Lily._

 _"Well, there are Muggles." said Severus. "Those are people who can't do magic...we call them Muggles...and then there are Muggle-borns...people who have no magical lineage that have the ability to do magic."_

 _Lily looked at him for a moment appearing to consider this._

 _"So I am a Muggle-born." she said._

 _"Yes." replied Severus._

 _"Is that any different than a magical born witch?" asked Lily._

 _"No." replied Severus. "I believe it all depends on the witch or wizard's talent."_

 _Lily smiled at this._

 _"Thank you Severus." she said._

 _He smiled._

 _"What ever for?" he asked._

 _"For letting me know that I am not a freak." she replied._

 _Severus had been shocked when Lily took his hand and they raced across the clearing. They spent the rest of the afternoon in the bliss of each others company. Not even the prospect of returning to Spinner's End later that day could erase the pleasant bliss of Lily company. She had parted with him when dinner time came leaving the confused boy after planting an innocent and equally sweet kiss on his cheek.}_

Hermione wiped away the tears that streamed down Severus Snape's cheeks. She could hear the faint plea on his lips as he called out for the little girl that plagued his memories with a barrage of her sweetness.

"Lily." he had said as the tears continued to fall. "I'm sorry."

The bushy haired witch's heart went out to him. The fever continued to linger making him sweaty and delirious. She wiped him down with another wet cloth hoping to stay the effects but not send him into shock. Her soft bare hand brushed against the sweat slick skin of his torso and he seemed to relax a moan escaped him as he began to settle back down.

"It's going to be okay Professor." said Hermione softly in his ear.

Snape groaned in reply as more hot tears made their way down his cheeks.

Hermione sighed and grabbed the book off the edge of the bed that she had been reading and opened it back to where she left off. Snape settled into an easy sleep listening to the pleasant sound of her voice.

The young witch had not known who the girl was that Snape called out to but she apparently meant a great deal to The Potions Professor. She wondered briefly if they had been lovers in the past. It was clear from the remorse in his tone that he had cared for her and that they seemed to have had a falling out.

With a sigh Hermione turned her attention back to her book. Severus Snape had seemed more of a daunting mystery than what she had chosen to read at that moment. She hoped that Albus and Aberforth returned soon. She was getting exhausted having to keep up with the dour wizard's strange screaming fits.


	7. Chapter 6:Decent Into Darkness

**Chapter 6:** _ **Decent Into Darkness**_

 _ **{A/N: I did say this story was dark.}**_

 _ **{"...The Tears Are Filling Up Their Glasses...No expression...No Expression...Hide My Head I Wanna Drown My Sorrow...No Tomorrow...No Tomorrow...And I Find It Kind Of Funny...I Find It Kind Of Sad...The Dreams In Which I'm Dying Are The Best I've Ever Had...I Find It Hard To Tell You I Find It Hard To Take...People Run In Circles It's A Very...Very...Mad World...Mad World..."} Mad World, Adam Lambert**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's Room, Dumbledore, Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **M**_ ore silent tears streamed down the cheeks of a sleeping Severus Snape. The pain from his memories bubbling to the surface and boiling over from the darkest trenches of his mind. The rampant illness preventing his usual self-control from pushing them back into the abyss. He had been so far away from the old manor that smelled of old wood and leather. The dust and spiderwebs that decorated the aged place had no visual effect and the bushy haired witch that spent most of her time watching over him was no where to be seen. He could feel himself slipping slowly as if cast adrift in the wake of a storm. The tightness in his chest evident as the long repressed emotion struggled to break free. He could see the obsidian eyes of his long suffering mother as she lay on the hardwood floor. Her simple gray cotton dress with little blue flowers sticking to her pale skin sticky with red blotches and damaged from little slits. Those eyes would haunt him in such a way that he would never again dare to look into the mirror another day in his life. The rancid taste of bile rose in the back of his throat as his own dark eyes took in the sight of the crimson pool that lined her pale form. Her messy raven hair askew from the usual ponytail she pulled it back into whenever she started working about the house.

 _{The lean form of Severus Sebastian Snape approached Spinner's End. The rancid air with his green smog had turned his stomach as soon as he ventured passed the swill spewing river. The rundown old mill had been in the distance very much the eyesore it always was as he shuffled along. His father's old worn trousers nearly a much better fit with the exception of the looseness as he walked. His odd pale feet covered in old worn dress shoes that had long since lost their shine._

 _The heavy long sleeve shirt that had not been truly white since the day it was stitched had been draped over his thin torso yet another hand-me down from his father's old attire. The sleeves hung off his small arms as he ventured ever closer to the house that had filled him with dread from the moment he was aware of the toxic drama within. The only reason he had ever bothered to venture back was to see her. He had not cared that she had looked just as tired and rundown as he, not that her hair had been split raven strands pulled lazily into a ponytail_

 _Sadly he had not known just how toxic his environment had been until that particular day. Severus Snape aged 16 years had been a student of Hogwarts for some time and despite his misadventures there, he had much preferred the looming walls of the castle than this rancid place. He made his way up the three steps into the small porch with its paint peeled boards._

 _The stench had hit him even before he opened the door. A sickeningly sweet smell of rot and decay. The young wizard had not known that it would be the only scent that would repulse him to such a degree that nothing else would ever come close. A sudden coldness washed over him as he entered the house. It had been dark and quiet. Such an unusual thing when his mother made it a point to always open the doors and clean until she scrubbed away the bad memories of the night before._

 _The scent of firewhiskey hit him as he stepped further into the house. The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach seemed overwhelming as he continued to make his way toward the kitchen. She had always been there. It was the most common spot to find her. If there was anything that he could say in the way of admiration for the woman he called mother it was that she did not hide. Even when things seemed at their worst, she did not run and refused to be driven by fear._

 _He must have gotten some of that blind determination from her. It was the only place that his own enduring nature could have sprung. He pushed open the door and finding a small dim light that had still been aglow. The sticky crimson announced the truth before he could even see that from whence it came. A motionless form over by the counter. Severus ventured closer as the unseemly mount of rotted flesh came into view. The haunting look in the eyes of his long suffering mother as she lay there lifeless on the floor she had scrubbed many countless times in her late life._

 _"M-Mother." said Severus in a nearly inaudible whisper._

 _The only person in the world who he had given a damn about from the moment of his birth lay dead at his feet. Her blood pooled around her and her face twisted not in horror or anguish...but relief...so sweet he could almost swear that she had been smiling. The heart of an innocent 16 year old boy suffered it's first break. He had been so busy staring at her lifeless form that he had barely felt it shatter._

 _Taking in the sight he knew at last what had happened._

 _Tobias had finally made good on his promise._

 _He didn't need to have been there to know that when he came for her, she had not run. She stood there weathering the blows and when the small flicker of defiance had been too much for his bruised little ego, he went for a knife to reestablish just how strong he was. Multiple lacerations had been across her chest. Her cotton dress in shreds and stained with blood._

 _"Mother." said Severus a voice as soft as when he had been a child._

 _The only pleasant memories of her from a time when he was too little to know the truth about the life he had been born into. Severus backed away from her. Away from the blood. Away from the death. He huddled his thin frame into the darkest corner of the house letting the clear streams freely down his pale sallow cheeks. The world went on ignoring the sorrowful sobs of the mother-less boy.}_

"Professor." said the voice of Hermione Granger. "Professor It's going to be okay."

The bushy haired witch's amber eyes didn't leave the pale wizard as she watched him whimper and sob in his sleep. She had never known anyone's cry to sound so broken before. It tugged at the young witch's heart to hear such a sound from the bravest man in the entire wizarding world. Hermione let her soft fingers stroke his sweat covered forehead. Seeing him so weak and frail had only made her want to be nearer to him. His sobs hitting her ears made her want to hold him tight and never let him go.

When she had wondered just whom or what was the cause of his anguish the words fell from his pale lips with a forced breath.

"Mother."

Streams of tears had begun to fall from the cheeks of the young witch herself. She knew the tragic story of Eileen Prince and what became of her that fateful day. It was one thing to read about it in some old article preserved in old books but to have lived it, to be the one to find her even at the age of 16 must have been heartbreaking.

Unable to resist Hermione threw herself across the ailing Professor's chest half hugging the man as tears streamed down both their cheeks.

"I'm so sorry Professor." she said softly. "You should never have had to deal with that on your own."

A soft moan escaped him at the instant of her touch and he began to settle back down into an easy sleep. Hermione curled up in bed beside him letting him know that he had not been alone. The beating of the dour wizard's heart as well as her own the only sound in contrast to their breathing. Half asleep the young witch reached out and grabbed his pale clammy hand providing a warmth that he had never before experienced.

"Everything is going to be okay Professor." she said softly. "I'll stay so you won't be alone."

Within half an hour Hermione fell asleep. Her soft breathing a soothing sound if ever he heard one.

.


	8. Chapter 7: Closer To Heaven

**Chapter 7:** _ **Closer To Heaven**_

 _ **{A/N: Some shed light in the darkness.}**_

 _ **{Alan Rickman is not dead...He's simply sleeping until Jesus comes.}**_

 _ **Warning: Mild Content ahead**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **H**_ ermione had been relieved to find that Aberforth and Albus had returned. They brought some fresh supplies and seemed to be as un-agreeable as ever. The bushy haired witch had still found it difficult to leave the ailing Potions Professor's side. She chalked it up to being force of habit. Those nights alone with a sickly screaming man had been hard on her. Aberforth had been as grouchy as usual and by contrast of course Albus was pleasant. Aberforth had a box of goodies tucked beneath his large arm as he ventured into the kitchen with a scowl on his face. Albus made his way back to see about Snape. Hermione found herself with nothing much to do. As the two brothers took over the only tasks available. The bushy haired witch ventured into the sitting room taking yet another book off the shelf. When the time came for feeding Snape she would be summoned until then the Dumbledore brothers could manage.

 _Snape's Room, Dumbledore Manor..._

Severus Snape found himself feeling lighter than air as his mind ascended from the dark abyss throwing him into the crystallized image of a 15 year old Lily Evans as she laughed and giggled running around him as they made their way through the clearing. She had not known of the horrors that had taken place in Spinner's End. He never told her. He never wanted her to know of anything so brutal and ugly. She was pure. As pure as the driven snow and he had not wanted the ugliness of his upbringing to mar that in any way. When he arrived at her door that fateful afternoon, the tears of a 16 year old mother-less boy had been dried and forgotten. There was nothing left at that place for him to go back to. He knew that. Hogwarts had been his home now.

Perhaps it always has been.

The girl with the strawberry hair had turned into a woman before his very eyes but he still felt that need to protect her from any and all harm. At times it had been overwhelming. He could hardly have a moments peace until he knew that she was safe and happy. How could she know that what she asked of him that day had been something that changed the course of their friendship forever.

 _{ Lily Evans lead him by the hand and he followed obedient and silent as she directed him with the intention of having her way. It wasn't the first time she had done something like this. Lily had always been a take charge kind of girl. He found a smile crept across his sallow pale face despite his experiences prior to meeting her that afternoon._

 _One could hardly tell that Severus had found his mother dead when he entered his home. All Lily knew was the wonder of her ambitions and laughter that day. She didn't see the occasional sadness that would grip her best friend whenever she wasn't looking, nor the slow way he walked concealing an ache beyond a name._

 _All she knew was that he was there and she made up her mind as to what she wanted to happen before they had to return to Hogwarts. The red haired witch pulled him toward a cave where the two often adventured when they were children, hiding from the woes of everyday life consumed by the limitless possibilities of their imaginations._

 _When she looked at him with those emerald green eyes and that soft expression while the words dropped from her sweet almost cherry red lips as that would signal the shift in the winds that directed their otherwise neutral friendship._

 _"Come on Sev." she had said, her voice dripping with sweetness as she led him into the cave._

 _He knew then that he could never refuse her. No matter the request. And so he ventured forth with into the cave lead by her hand._

 _Severus had never really appreciated the true aspect of beauty. He had come from a world of ugliness and hate. It wasn't until Lily looked up at him in her bare seemingly angelic form from the floor of the cave with their attire scattered all around that he knew what true beauty had been. The young wizard closed his eyes taking in the sensation of her soft warm skin seemingly melding with his own pale flesh as he towered above her._

 _He slender legs wrapped around him holding him tight as he moved in and out of the sensuous warmth. The sound of her soft moans like music pouring into his ears as he continued to flex and piston into her body. Never was a form more worthy of being labeled a work of art. Long gone were the images of his mother and the sobs of a mother-less boy as her warmth filled him erasing the pain and agony of his former life._

 _The world had dissolved around them as they became lost in the sensations that overwhelmed them. The chill of the cave had been countered by the heat radiating from their writhing forms. Severus looked down at her, hooded eyes of emerald green meeting soulful obsidian as he continued to move, pistoning his body inside her._

 _At the close of this encounter Snape felt as if he had been lifted away from the very bones of the earth his heart beating wildly in his chest as the sensation of her fingertips running along his pale bare chest registered. Something ripped through him that he had never experienced before and with it came a sense of awakening he could hardly describe._

 _"Lily." he said softly._

 _The witch below him let out a scream as her breath became ragged and her limbs heavy. He felt her legs tighten around him once more before they slid back down to the floor of the cave. In that moment he heard the sweetest sound as the pain of her fingernails digging into the pale flesh of his back increased then subsided._

 _"Severus!" she had said with her heart pounding in a similar rhythm as his own._

 _There in the safe semi-darkness of the cave, Snape lay beside the girl that spurred his dreams and reshaped his reality. She had her eyes closed having falling away into an involuntary slumber. Her chest rising and falling as her body took in air. Pure and exposed she lay a vision in her own right. Snape had wondered briefly if this had been what it was like when the biblical Adam and Eve lay in the garden of Eden before a serpent came and destroyed their happiness in the wake of jealously._

 _"I love you." he said taking in the image of her one last time. "Lily."_

 _"I love you too, Sev." she said in a near whisper reply._

 _He had not known that she meant it as a comfort for her best friend rather than a proclamation to her lover. Before long he fell asleep as well unable to get the image of her out of his mind. Not that he wanted to.}_

In the present, Snape had shifted some in his unsettled sleep as the images flooded his mind. The moment in time frozen in his consciousness. She was so close then and yet so far at the same time. How could he have known then the chain of events that would tear them apart and lead him to his utter destruction. Unable to take any more he forced himself to open his eyes.

"Hi Professor." said the voice of Hermione Granger.

The bushy haired witch sat beside him with a ready bowl of soup.

"It's time for you to eat now." she said.

Snape barely had the strength to complain as she spoon fed him until the soup was at a level she was satisfied with. He didn't object when he felt her hands over his body again stroking his chest and forehead. He let out a soft moan at the contact. Hermione smiled before taking up the bowl and returning it to the kitchens.

The Potions Master's dark eyes closed once more as the reality of the world around him faded and he was once again descending into the abyss.


	9. Chapter 8: Eater of Death

**Chapter 8:** _ **Eater of Death**_

 _ **{A/N: I did say this story was dark.}**_

 _ **{"Now give me the strength to split the world in two...I ate all the rest and now...I gotta eat you...Built in my nightmares and using my name you're stroking my cortex and you know I'm insane...I'm squeezed out in hump drive and drownin' in love...Encompass them all to a position above..."} Space Lord , Monster Magnet**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's room, Dumbledore Manor, wizarding world..._

 _ **T**_ he abyss grew more vast as the familiar spikes of agony ripped through Snape's body. His mind battered by the sudden barrage of images from that fateful day by the lake, James Potter and his marauders stripping him down in front of their other Gryffindor house members and chanting that vile nickname. Lily tried to intervene and he called her that wretched term... _Mudblood. Why had he said that? Why had he called her that?_ It was clear that he was hurt and angry. He had not been thinking properly. She ignored him when he tried repeatedly to apologize. She had even called him that vile nickname when ever she saw him. Her emerald green eyes a reflection of disgust. He could feel her slipping away and he had been desperate to hold onto her, to hold on to the small fragment of light in his otherwise dark world. But she pulled away taking the light that had given him a small measure of relief for so long. As he knew it would, his world descended into utter darkness. There trapped within the blankets of the blackest night, the monster that always seemed to dwell within took shape twisted and cursed it emerged with a heart of stone. The son of Tobias, if ever there was one.

 _{ It had been the coldest night he could remember as he stood clad in the grey robes of a young recruit. The sky was the color of pitch and ominous a sense of relief flooded him as he bowed before the charismatic Tom Riddle, a Slytherin like himself, who presented himself as the guiding big brother to lost and wayward souls that the world cared nothing about. If there had ever been company to be had for the 16 year old outcast, this was as good as it was going to get._

 _"You have done well, Lucius." said Tom smiling at the handsome Malfoy wizard._

 _"Thank you my lord." replied Lucius dutifully._

 _His gray eyes taking in the sight of Severus Snape._

 _"He will be a fine addition to our ranks." said Tom fondly._

 _Severus kept his eyes to the ground as Tom approached him._

 _"Look at me Severus." said the older wizard._

 _Snape did as he requested._

 _"Give me your right arm." said Tom with a smile. "And we will become the family that you so desperately seek."_

 _Without hesitation Snape did as he commanded._

 _Tom took his thin pale arm and tapped his wand to it._

 _"First the pain." he said still with a smile. "Then the pleasure."_

 _Snape watched as Tom spoke before the incantation._

 _"Adiuro vos fratrem voluntatis arbitrio animumque serpentis sicut fratres ... arma cruenta pure relatio." he said._

 _It had been all Snape could make out before the wizard began to speak in parseltongue. Later Snape recalled the meeting with a few known words that Tom had taught him. He had not been fluent in parseltongue but he knew more words than most witches and wizards as of late._

 _"Kura ans, bana ans, snart ans, ase praughs." hissed Tom Riddle. {"Black one, cold one, smart one, be proud."}_

 _Snape had felt an intense burning sensation searing the flesh of his pale right forearm. He jolted in reaction gripping it as the unchecked heat ripped thorough out his body. His face contorted in anguish and his eyes widened._

 _"Primum dolor." said Tom Riddle watching him still with that smile._

 _The agony continued causing the young raven haired wizard to convulse as he eyes became white from them rolling back into his head. Lucius studied him with indifference._

 _"Deinde voluptate." said Tom Riddle seemingly amused._

 _Then just as quickly as it began the pain subsided as sensations of overwhelming pleasure filled him. The young wizard could do nothing to control the soft moan that escaped his pale lips as he writhed on the floor. Unable to get back to his feet. It had been unlike anything he had ever experienced before._

 _The two older wizards were quite amused when the young Snape found himself erect in reaction to the overwhelming sensations. When it was over Snape stood before Tom at his command his breath ragged and his eyes wide with new knowledge beyond his years. He did not cringe when Tom stroked his cheek in an affectionate manner._

 _"Welcome brother." he said smiling at Snape._

 _The young Severus still with sensations coursing through him returned his smile. His obsidian eyes fell to his forearm where the newly placed dark mark had been a symbol of his new life. The outcast Severus Snape son of Tobias, was now a death eater._

 _Tom turned to Lucius and motioned for him to come to him. The handsome albino blond walked over his gray eyes flashing with a kind of admiration._

 _"Lucius I want you to take Severus under your wing." instructed Tom. "Show him what it means to be a brother, teach him our ways I see it only fitting as you are the one that brought him to me."_

 _"As you wish my lord." replied Lucius._

 _Snape looked at Tom who continued to smile at him. The older wizard tussled his raven hair affectionately._

 _"Kura ans, bana ans, snart ans, ase praughs." hissed Tom in Parseltongue._

 _The wizard dismissed them and Lucius led Snape down the corridors of the large manor and toward a room that had been pained vibrant red. It contained a large four poster bed with what appeared to be sheets of black and red silk. Even the pillow cases had been such._

 _"Welcome to the pleasure chamber little brother." said Lucius. "You should be very proud this day, you have impressed the dark lord enough that he has granted you access on the first day."_

 _"The Dark Lord?" said Snape._

 _"Yes." replied Lucius. "It is what we call him."_

 _Snape thought the megalomania had been a little much but he shrugged it off. Even he referred to himself as "The Half-Blood Prince", although it was simply a matter of convenience._

 _"Go on inside." said Lucius. "You will be rewarded in due time." }_

Hermione had arrived in Snape's room. A look of bliss had been on his pale face in place of the usual anguish. The witch ventured inside unsure what to make of this new development. Snape's obsidian eyes sprang open and he looked at her intensely.

 _"Kura ans, bana ans, snart ans."_ hissed Snape in what Hermione recognized as Parseltongue. _"snart ans hesleuf."_

Hermione looked at Snape confused for a few seconds. She had no idea that Snape could speak parseltongue it had been a bit disconcerting.

 _"snart ans hesleuf."_ said Snape once more. {"Smart one help."}

She didn't know why but she felt a sense of urgency that seemed to pull her toward the ailing Professor.

 _"snart ans hesleuf."_ he said again.

Hermione watched as he was suddenly convulsing in intense agony. His mind reeling faster than he could catch up to the moment everything changes for him. In one moment the innocent boy outcast from everyone became the monster he was always born to be. His mind took him to the dark muggle street corner the black sky loomed above and the winds brought a chill more bitter than chocolate without sugar. He stood draped in black his obsidian eyes scanning the entrance to the rundown dive bar.

 _{ Tobias Snape had come from the cesspit the muggles called a bar and made his way out into the night. He had not known that his young son had been watching him. He followed him all the way back toward the long road leading up to Spinner's End. It was surprising that he actually had the audacity to return to this place considering all that he had done._

 _The newly initiated death eater made his way toward the tall thin muggle man. Murder in his obsidian eyes._

 _"corpus liga!" shouted Severus._

 _Tobias suddenly found himself flung to the ground unable to move an inch. The wide eyed muggle struggled against his seemingly invisible binds._

 _"Hello, Tobias." said Snape in a long slow dropping down to the ground in a crazed manner, his obsidian eyes wide like a cat's when a mouse is cornered._

 _"S-Severus?" said Tobias wide eyed._

 _"Severus?" said Snape with a wicked grin. "Since when did you start calling me that...all I've ever heard from you is freak this freak that."_

 _"Severus...son." said Tobias looking into the truly black eyes of his son._

 _"Son?" said Snape with an arched eyebrow. "Now, I wonder where that came from."_

 _Tobias didn't need anyone to tell him that Severus had been out for blood. The giddy look in his dark eyes had been all the proof he needed there was something different about his son, something otherworldly almost._

 _"Severus." said Tobias._

 _"QUIET!" shouted Severus in his ear. "Don't you ever stop talking...useless sack of human excrement."_

 _Tobias blinked unable to do much more as Severus got to his feet._

 _The dark wizard let out a contented sigh as he did._

 _"That's better." he said listening to the sound of his father's frantic breaths._

 _Tobias had been fearful as he watched his son smile at the increase in his heart rate._

 _"Afraid of something Tobias?" asked Severus._

 _"No." replied Tobias Snape trying to maintain his so-called dignity._

 _A surge of rage filled Severus as he glared down at the bound man._

 _"DO...NOT...LIE...TO...ME!" he snarled. "You should feel fear Mudborn...you should feel it like she had to every second of every day that she spent in that mausoleum you call a house, in this sick twisted little world of yours."_

 _Tobias said nothing._

 _"dolor." said Severus._

 _All of the sudden Tobias felt his body wracked with intense agony. It was only one third of the agony he would have suffered if he had been hit with an unforgivable but it was still effective._

 _"solutis doloribus." said Severus watching as Tobias screamed with tears streaming down his cheeks._

 _He took a perverse pleasure in the sight._

 _"solvite." said Severus._

 _The bind that held Tobias disappeared but the man could go nowhere still reeling from the agony that ripped through him._

 _"cruentatur." said Severus almost dispassionately._

 _Tobias' screams were muffled by the sudden onset of blood pouring from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears. The man had been frightened beyond all reasoning._

 _Severus smiled seemingly at peace as he watched him._

 _"Noverint universi partus." he said._

 _Tobias was immediately bombarded with feelings of Eileen's agony from the moment she left home until the day she died._

 _"Please." he begged his son. "Stop."_

 _Severus became enraged at Tobias' audacity. He had killed his mother brutally and here he was begging the son whom he beat unconscious daily to make his pain and agony stop. To show him the mercy and kindness that he was never taught to begin with. It was a fatal mistake on the part of the muggle man. A fatal mistake indeed._

 _"sectumsempra." said Severus._

 _Tobias froze as his blood pooled around him. His wide eyes stricken with terror. Severus Snape walked away from the twitching carcass and into the night. Tobias Snape was no more but like him, his son had become a murderer._

 _Snape returned to Tom Riddle who showered him with gifts and affection for his dark deed._

 _"Kuras ans." hissed Tom in Parseltongue. " praughs ans."_

 _It was at that moment that Severus Snape had become a full fledged death eater.}_

Hermione had been sitting beside Snape's bed with a book in her hands when she heard the familiar hiss pass through his lips.

 _"Kuras ans."_ he had said. _"bana ans."_

The bushy haired witch made up her mind to speak to Dumbledore about Snape's strange behavior as of late. She wasn't sure why the Potions Master was speaking in parseltongue, as far as she had known only Salazar Slytherin, Voldemort, and Harry Potter ever spoke it. Then again Snape had been in the company of Voldemort since he was a teenager. She reasoned that he might have taught him a few words to speak in code. The dour wizard had been apart of Voldemort's elite counsel ranking as his top adviser and spy.

Before Hermione went back to her book she made a mental note of what all he had said.

 _"snart ans hesleuf."_ said Snape again. {"Smart one help."}

{"Had he just asked for help?"} thought the bushy haired witch as she considered the sounds.

The Potions Master settled back down to sleep once Hermione placed her hands on him as before. His breathing evened out as the last hiss came from his pale lips.

 _"ai ein~e ou."_ he hissed in parseltongue. _" snart ans." {"I have you...Smart one."}_


	10. Chapter 9:Evil Angel

**Chapter 9:** _ **Evil Angel**_

 _ **{"I'm a believer...Nothing could be worse...All these imaginary friends...Hiding betrayal...Driving the nail...Hoping to find a savior...No, don't...Leave me to die here...Help me survive here...Alone, don't...Surrender...surrender...Oh...Fly over me evil angel...Why can't I breathe evil angel?"} Evil Angel, Breaking Benjamin**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **O**_ ne by one the images came an endless sea of motion and darkness until he was thrown upon the hearth outside Godric's Hollow on the night of October 31st 1981. The day that Lily and James Potter met their tragic end and Harry Potter's legacy began. Godric's Hollow had the haunted feel about it the second Snape stepped foot on the property. His heart had been pounding in his chest wildly as fear coursed through him. He had not known what to expect when he ventured into the open door down the long hall passed the lifeless corpse of one James Potter. The man seemed to look up at him, with dead eyes and an expression twisted in agony. Snape had not truly known how to feel about his apparent gruesome death, for years he had wished for nothing but this for the arrogant Gryffindor prat who use to strut around Hogwarts as if he owned it.

Looking down briefly at James as he passed the long hall a march that seemed endless due to the overwhelming emotion bombarding him at once, Snape saw not the boy whom had caused him nothing but grief and stolen the only light in his otherwise dismal world but a man. A man who had died trying in vain to protect his young family. A father whom had only a few precious moments with his infant son before their time had been cut short. Despite their dark history, Snape could only feel sadness for the fallen James Potter as he passed him and ventured on.

 _{ Softly...slowly...Snape crept through the hall not knowing whom or what would be awaiting him once he reached his destination. The storm of emotions continued to clash inside him as his logical mind battled brutally against his hopeful heart. She can't be. She is. She isn't. There is nothing you could do. No you lie. She's gone. NO THAT CAN'T BE. But it is you know that it is. No! I don't believe you. I can't._

 _Snape continued to make his way down the hall until he came to an opened door filled with the cooing sound of a baby. The boy was alive. Her son had lived? He didn't know how it was possible. His obsidian eyes took in the sight of the room's chaotic appearance. Signs of struggle had been all around. There had been no sign of the dark lord. Perhaps he had been defeated? Snape ventured further inside scanning the chaos until his found her._

 _Lying on the floor near the boy in his crib was Lily Potter, her strawberry red hair a tangled mess in the wake of her battle with the dark lord and her emerald eyes opened in a lifeless glare. Her face twisted in agony as if to be a testament to the final fight of her life when she stood up against her husband's murderer to protect her infant son._

 _All at once the raging storm that had been brewing inside hit it's most catastrophic point and Snape fell to his knees as the agony hit him. wave after wave of intense pain more potent than any hex or curse coursed through him. His veins hot with his boiling blood and his heart heavy with sorrow._

 _"LILY!" was the only word that escaped him before the weight of regret set in._

 _Snape collapsed onto the floor as the pain continued to make itself known. He crawled to her lifting her lifeless form and pulling it close to him. The images of the girl with Strawberry red hair and sad emerald green eyes from that day at the tree came back to him. Her innocent kiss on his cheek before she grabbed his had. The day in the cave when she took away the pain with one request came back as well. He could hear her sweet voice like music in his ears._

 _"Come on Sev." she had said sweetly._

 _"I love you too, Sev." echoed in his mind._

 _"NO!" he shouted scaring the small boy in the crib behind him. "NO!"_

 _Baby Harry James Potter burst into tears hearing the booming rage in the voice of Severus Snape. The legendary scar marking his forehead and shaping his destiny had been visible in the dim light._

 _Snape held Lilly to him, her head resting against his chest while his heart beat thunderously. The tears coming down his sallow pale cheeks in rivers. How he wished he could rip it from it's cage and give it to her so that her beautiful life could be restored. As if spurred by shock Snape got up off the floor and carried the lifeless form of Lily Potter into her bedroom still clinging to her tightly. Without a word he wandlessly pulled back the covers on her bed and layed her down softly as if she could still feel. The distraught wizard pulled the covers over her leaving her beautiful face exposed._

 _He closed her emerald eyes and stepped away. If one had not known any better they would have remarked that she was simply sleeping peacefully. He ventured into the kitchen still unable to shake his shocked state and found a bottle of milk. Apparently Lily and James were about to fed young Potter before the dark lord arrived._

 _Snape took the bottle into his trembling pale hand and ventured back into Harry's room. The small boy looked at him with his mother's emerald green eyes, a reflection of innocence passed in them that Snape did not dare take in. He knew who and what he was. He had chosen this. He turned to the darkness when she walked away and let it consume him. The light in the small boys eyes was not meant for him._

 _The dark wizard steeled himself as he approached the crib erring on the side of caution. Much to his surprise, baby Harry had not been afraid of him. He simply looked tired. One couldn't blame him after the night he was having. Both of his parents murdered one after the other. His own mother slain right before his innocent eyes._

 _Snape felt for the boy. One could only imagine the uphill battle he was going to have to face when he was old enough to understand what had happened here this day. As if in sorrowful kinship Snape fed baby Harry his bottle and watched over the boy as he fell asleep. The dark wizard made his way back into the Potter's bedroom and stood quietly in the dark, unwilling to leave Lily's side until someone came that could care for them all._

 _Feeding baby Harry was to be the dark wizard's last act of kindness. The only thing left that he could do for his deceased friend. Morbid thoughts clouded his mind as he decided that he would not be long for this world. His heart of darkness shattered to pieces leaving the innocent boy he once was stained with the blood from it's fragments._

 _With a crack of thunder, Albus Dumbledore arrived at Godric's Hollow. The blue eyed wizard had not known what to expect as he ventured into the open door, passed the body of his former student and fellow Gryffindor James Potter. He continued down the narrow hall of scattered personal items and parchments and peeked into the opened door of a room decorated with baby blue and innocent things. His blue eyes twinkled when he saw baby Harry Potter tucked peacefully beneath his baby blanket fast asleep with a new scar upon his small forehead._

 _The old wizard gave the boy a sad smile as he watched his tiny torso rise and fall as he breathed. This was Albus Dumbledore's first image of baby Harry Potter, The boy who lived. Turning away from the crib The Headmaster of Hogwarts ventured further into the house coming to the bedroom of James and Lily Potter. He cautiously stepped inside raising his wand. His blue eyes took in the sight of what appeared to be a sleeping Lily Potter, but the old wizard knew better. She had been dead just as James had been. A beautiful young girl in her own right and bright for her age. She had been a fellow Gryffindor as well._

 _With a sigh Dumbledore turned his attention to the faint breathing in the darkness._

 _"You can come out Severus." he said._

 _"Have you come to kill me?" asked Snape in an emotionless tone._

 _"No." replied Dumbledore._

 _"Then there is nothing that you can do for me." replied Snape still in the emotionless tone._

 _"Severus." said Dumbledore softly. "Let me help you."_

 _"Why?" asked Snape. "No one's ever wanted to help me before."_

 _"I have use for a man like you." said Dumbledore._

 _"I do not wish to be of use." replied Snape. "And I am far beyond your foolish notions of redemption old man."_

 _"Severus there is still good in you." said Dumbledore._

 _"The good in me left when Lily took her last breath." replied Snape. "Soon I will be hunted down and wrangled up with the rest of my brothers...because of my rank within the dark lord's army they will want my death...a fitting end to a life well spent wouldn't you say Headmaster?"_

 _"Severus don't be a fool." said Dumbledore still trying to salvage him._

 _"Funny." said Snape still emotionless. "How can I not be what I was from the moment of my birth?"_

 _With that Snape walked out the door leaving Dumbledore alone to deal with the newly orphaned baby Harry Potter. }_

 _Snape's Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

The screams had been worse than before. Aberforth held Snape down on one side and Albus held him down on the other. The Potions Master had been burning up as the sweat came off him in streams. Hermione tried her best to wipe him down with a cool towel but it was to no avail. He jerked and kicked as the older wizards so no other alternative but to bind him to the bed.

"What the bloody hell his wrong with him?" asked Aberforth gruffly.

"I think he's having a nightmare." said Hermione.

"Or reliving one." added Dumbledore.

"What do you mean Headmaster?" asked Hermione.

Before he could answer Snape bit down hard on his lips causing it to bleed a great deal.

"Stop him." ordered Aberforth. "He's out of control."

"He's not responding." said Albus. "Perhaps I lack the proper method to soothe him."

"Let's douse the boy with a water spell." said Aberforth. "That'll take some zing out of this here fever."

"Absolutly not." said Hermione outraged. "You'll send him into shock."

"Better shock than this." retorted Aberforth gruffly. "Bloody boy's gone crazy and the fever will kill him if it's not brought down."

"Perhaps there is a middle ground." replied Albus. "What if we douse him with a water spell and Miss Granger ease him through the effects?"

"That just might work Headmaster." said Hermione considering it.

Aberforth grunted in annoyance.

"You do what you want." he replied. "I'm going to start on supper."

The gruff wizard made his way out of the room leaving Albus and Hermione to their work. The Headmaster blasted Snape with a water charm and Hermione dried him soothing him with her words in the process. When they finished they had brought his fever down enough to let it break on it's own. Albus left Snape to Hermione's care and went to talk some sense into Aberforth, like it would do any good.

"Professor." she said softly in his ear. "Can you hear me?"

Snape grunted much like Aberforth.

Hermione stroked his sallow pale cheek.

"You are a good man." she said softly as if she could see into his mind's eye.

Snape let out a familiar soft moan in reaction to her touch. The bushy haired witch sigh and cast a drying spell on him and the bed before she climbed in beside him. She told herself that she would just sit with him until she wall called for dinner. The young witch absently traced the scars on his exposed torso with her soft hand. It was clear that Snape had been through a great deal of hardship over the course of his life. He had the battle scars to prove it, but there were other scars. Scars that couldn't be seen on in the view of his pale flesh. And if these dreams were any indication, they were starting to bleed all over again.


	11. Chapter 10:Black Rain

**Chapter 10:** _ **Black Rain**_

 _ **{"Your Words To Me Just A Whisper...Your Face Is So Unclear...I Try To Pay Attention...Your Words Just Disappear...Cause It's Always Raining In My Head...Forget All The Things I Should Have Said..."}Raining In My Head, Staind**_

 _ **Warning: Mild Torture**_

 _ **{A/N: Dark remember}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **S**_ inking slowly into the darkness Snape had been been tossed about into the sea of the abyss. His heart heavy with grief over the loss of his childhood friend. Her emerald eyes flashing before him going from the sad eyes of the little girl with strawberry hair to the lifeless form he found inside Godric's Hollow. He remembered all too well the sting of the first firewhiskey he had ever purchased. The sky had been dark and swollen with heavy clouds of deep gray. A clap of thunder rumbled as if it had been the soundtrack to the rage deep within him. He recalled being heavily drunk that fateful afternoon. The smell of firewhiskey radiating off him in waves. He had been numb to the pain. Numb to the world. Numb to the thoughts that seemed to beat him down constantly. It had been his fault. He lead the dark lord right to their door with that bit of information concerning that ridiculous prophecy. _How was he to know that her son was born at the end of July? How was he to know that she stood against the dark lord and defied him three times. DAMN HIM!" Damn his miserable existence straight to hell. How could he let this happen. How could he let Lily Die!_

{ _A very drunk Severus Snape stumbled out of the nearest pub smelling of firewhiskey and sodden earth as the rain poured down heavily on him. His lengthy raven hair stuck to his sallow pale cheeks and forehead as he moved. A thin figure clad in ebony with slow uneasy steps and a heavy heart. He knew what he was looking for as he stumbled through the darkened alleys that reeked of urine and soot. His dark boots gritty with the filth of Knockturn alley._

 _Beneath corridors and overhangs women of ill repute propositioned him as he passed his high collar up to the end of his jaw as he continued on. He could hear footsteps behind him and anticipation filled him. His heart thundered inside his rib cage and he smiled catching the ragged breath of a man that meant business. This was it. This was the death he had been searching for from the moment he saw her lifeless emerald eyes staring up at him._

 _He felt the presence of multiple Aurors surrounding him. The firewhiskey in his veins and the prospect of death made Snape seem giddy as he stopped walking as it proved useless._

 _"Severus Snape." said the voice of whom the young dark wizard would come to know as Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody._

 _"Who wants to know?" asked the young drunken dark wizard._

 _"You will pay for your crimes and serving that despot Voldemort." said Moody glaring at him._

 _Snape turned to face the older wizard with the strange eye apparatus draped in a long brown trench coat. He had been a gruff looking man with yarn thin graying hair that had once been dirty blond._

 _"And who's going to make me?" asked Snape with a smirk on his sallow pale face._

 _If it had not been for the rain, Mad-eye probably would have noted the tears that streamed down the young dark wizard's cheeks at the prospect of achieving the release that he desired for so long. Not that the Auror would have cared about the sorrows of a misguided boy._

 _"I am." replied Moody in a gruff take no prisoners tone._

 _"So it begins." said Snape still with that forced smirk easily mistaken for arrogance._

 _The young dark wizard made a show of drawing his wand. Moody had been ready signaling his other Aurors to hex the broken hearted young wizard in unison. Snape never made a sound as the effects of various hexes coursed through his lean ebony clad frame. The rain coming down hard and unrelenting as he convulsed on the ground. The images of Lily flashed through his mind in rapid succession._

 _Moody and his boys had been of foul temperament that night and Snape's apparent show of arrogance had been the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak._

 _"Take him back to headquarters." said Moody in a gruff tone. "We'll break him like all the others."_

 _Snape barely registered the orders as they lifted him to his feet and apparated with him. }_

 _Snape's room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

The house had been quiet with both Albus and Aberforth retired to their respective rooms on opposite ends of the house. Hermione had been awake for what seemed like hours. She prowled the house aimlessly searching for a way to calm her overactive mind. After lying awake in bed for she didn't know how long, she got up and ventured into the sitting room. Everything had been dark and quiet with the exception of soft whimpers that seemed to be coming from Snape's room. The bushy haired witch had only meant to check on him.

But soon found herself climbing into bed with him.

She had not known what he was dreaming about but it seemed to be causing him a good deal of distress.

"Professor." she said softly. "It's okay."

Snape remained locked in his dream shifting restlessly from side to side.

{ _The young dark wizard found himself stripped down to his worn boxer shorts and beaten until blood ran from his pale lean body. He had been bruised and possibly had a few broken bones in various places. He refused to cry out in pain and give his attackers the satisfaction they seemed to demand._

 _"Tell us who else you had in your sick little club Snape!" demanded Moody._

 _Snape smirked as blood poured from his mouth and his lengthy raven hair stuck to his forehead soaked from both sweat and rain. The taste of salt and copper on his tongue from the blood as it seemed to pour down his chest in a small red river._

 _"I think not." he replied._

 _Another blow struck him._

 _Snape weathered it as if it had been nothing._

 _"You might as well kill me because you will get nothing." he said._

 _More pain came with yet another blow._

 _"TELL ME YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!" shouted the Auror that had been manhandling him._

 _"Sod off." replied Snape still taunting._

 _"Let me talk to him." said Moody. "Alone."_

 _The other Aurors smirked as they shuffled out of the room. Snape didn't need to be told that this was a bad sign. It appeared that the hospitality that they were showing him before hand had been child's play._

 _Twenty something year old Severus Snape started into the face of the wizarding world's greatest torturers and did not flinch. There was nothing that this man could do to him that he did not deserve for what he allowed to happen to Lily. He was really for the older wizard to do his worst._

 _"As I told you boy." he said. "I will break you."_

 _Snape simply glared at him._

 _For five long agonizing hours "Mad-eye" Moody had brutalized Severus Snape in a bid to get him to speak about Death eater activities and confess to the crimes he committed while at the despot's side. The young dark wizard had not said a word nor had he cried out in pain as Moody set upon him._

 _"Kill me." had been all that Snape let pass through his lips._

 _Moody had not known what kind of wizard Severus had been but he found it unnerving that he could withstand that much pain and would not give an inch. He had a feeling that he couldn't shake that this boy was dangerous. Possibly more so than Voldemort himself. When he could get nothing out of the boy short of beating him to death, Moody instructed his men to take Snape to a holding cell._

 _He had hoped being locked away in darkness would make it so that the boy would be more willing to talk. He would later find that he had been dead wrong. As Snape was drug back to his cell he caught sight of Igor Karkaroff. The former death eater tried to look away seeing the Aurors drag a beaten and bloodied Severus Snape to his cell. Igor heard the guards talking about Snape possibly receiving the dementor's kiss or death since they couldn't get any information out of him. The young dark wizard would later learn that it was Igor Karkaroff that had given his name to the Aurors in a bid to save himself._

 _Fortunately, for Snape someone else had other plans.}_

Hermione had fallen asleep once Snape's low whimpers subsided and he settled down as well. She had meant to get right up and return to her bed but for some reason she just couldn't seem to make the trip.


	12. Chapter 11:Life Styles Of The Convicted

**Chapter 11:** _ **Life Styles Of The Convicted**_

 _ **{"Open up the book you beat me with again...Read it off one sentence at a time...I'm tired of all the lines...convictions...and your lies...What right do you have to point at me?...Still crowding my space are the things that you still hold against me...You cannot save me."}Convictions, Absent Element/Daughtry**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **D**_ arkness of the abyss was all Snape could see as he continued to fall freely into the sea of blackness that surrounded him. The sharp edges of the shards that held his memories cut into him worse than an any knife. Hermione's presence did little to dull the sting but he had been improving slightly since the previous night. The bushy haired witch nuzzled her cheek against his pale arm and he found comfort in the warmth of her soft warm body being near him. His chest rose and fell from the steadiness of his breaths as did hers. The scent of jasmine filled his nostrils and he found himself calmer than he had been in days. A small glow seemed to get his attention as the weight of the anchor that had been nearly forgotten began to pull him back towards the surface.

 _{ Beaten and broken twenty something year old Snape layed on the cold stone floor of his prison cell. His raven hair soaked from sweat and blood that seemed to give his notoriously pale hue a pink tinge. His obsidian eyes were glossy from the delirium he had been suffering from as he layed there in the dark. A chill ran through him causing his exposed body to shiver involuntarily in reaction. He said nothing. He asked for nothing. He did not beg nor plead. He did not move an inch since he had been tossed about and landed on his back with his arms and legs sprawled in a heap of battered flesh on the stone floor._

 _A pool of blood slowly forming around him._

 _In the darkness he heard a father like voice and a warmth came over him that he didn't recognize. The young wizard had been ready to make his way into the abyss when his eyes forced themselves open and locked onto the blue eyes of none other than Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts._

 _"Severus." said the older wizard._

 _"Am I in hell?" asked Snape dizzy from the loss of blood._

 _"No." replied Dumbledore._

 _"Then why?" started Snape. "What did you do?"_

 _"You're coming with me Severus." said Dumbledore. "You'll have all that a man such as your self would require, room board, safety."_

 _"Safety?" asked Snape in an emotionless tone. "This coming from the man that insisted that I take a wizard's oath after Sirius Black tried to kill me."_

 _"Things were complicated then, Severus." said Dumbledore._

 _"What could be more complicated than a student needing to feel safe in the only home he's ever known?" asked Snape showing a bit of anger._

 _Dumbledore's blue eyes softened._

 _"Give me one good reason why I should ever trust you?" asked Snape._

 _"Lily Potter." replied The Headmaster._

 _Snape glared at him._

 _"Severus, her son needs you." said Dumbledore. "Soon he will be an outcast and you know better than anyone what that's like."_

 _"I wouldn't wish my life on my worst enemy." replied Snape bitterly._

 _"Severus, wither you like it or not, you have been cleared of all charges and released into my care." said Dumbledore._

 _"Trading one master in for another makes no difference to me." replied Snape._

 _"I'm not you're master Severus." said Dumbledore. "I am simply you're employer."_

 _Snape had hardly any time to retort before Dumbledore whipped out his wand and repaired the damaged done to Snape by the Aurors. The young dark wizard found himself nearly healed completely._

 _With a sigh, Snape got to his feet resigned into the service of Albus Dumbledore. He and The Headmaster left the hospitality of The Wizengamot for the castle of Hogwarts soon after.}_

Hermione opened her eyes to find that she had not been in her own bed. She had vaguely remembered wondering the halls after being restless most of the night. She found that she had been snuggled up to the sleeping Potions Master. It should have sent a panic through her about the strange scene as she awakened but it didn't. She had been so use to sleeping next to the man to keep his night terrors at bay that she hardly noticed that she was suppose to be keeping her distance.

Snape had not seemed to mind her presence either, although he had not been in much of a position to say otherwise. Breakfast came and she fed him soup like always. He ate with no problems and his fever was showing real signs of breaking for good in the wake of their treatment the last time it had threatened to remain.

 _{ Snape did his best to keep in step with Albus as he lead him through the dark dungeons of Hogwarts castle. Snape had not really needed a tour of the place. He knew every aspect of the dungeons from his time as a student. It was safe and felt very much like home here._

 _"Severus, you will be taking over Professor Horace Slughorn's classes starting tomorrow. " said the older wizard. "In doing so you will not only inherit the Potions classroom and office but you will also be the Slytherin Head of House."_

 _"What ever for?" asked Snape._

 _"Because Severus, this way you can insure that no Slytherin student can fall into the same vise you did." replied Dumbledore. "With you these students will have someone in their corner ready to fight for them the way that Slughorn did not do for you."_

 _Snape glared at Dumbledore for a moment but said nothing._

 _"Wither you chose to believe it or not, there is good in you Severus." said the old wizard. "A lot more good than you ever give yourself credit for."_

 _"I believe, we'll have to just agree to disagree." replied Snape bitterly. "Headmaster."_

 _Dumbledore sighed._

 _"Very well." he said conceding the point. "Are you all set?"_

 _"Yes." he replied. "If I don't have everything I need then I'll acquire it on my own time."_

 _"Well." said Dumbledore with a half smile. "Welcome to the family."_

 _"As if I haven't heard that before." said Snape dryly._

 _"Not from me you haven't." Dumbledore._

 _The old wizard put a hand on Snape's shoulder. The young dark wizard wanted nothing more than to be able to shrug off the old man's hand but found much as he hated to admit it, his fatherly approach had been comforting._

 _"See you at dinner." said Dumbledore pleasantly before taking his leave of the newly appointed Potions Master._

 _Snape turned his attention to his would be quarters. He had so much work to do with so little time.}_

After another round of soup and getting cleaned up, Snape drifted back into an easy sleep with Hermione curled up next to him much like before. He had no other night terrors like that previous night but the scent of jasmine and her warm presence seemed to do him good. The bushy haired witch had taken to reading to him again hoping that it would calm him and let him know that he had not been alone in the dark.

"You're doing much better Professor." said Hermione softly as she stroked his pale sallow cheek like before. "Soon you'll be back to your old self."

Snape let out a soft moan at the contact much like usual. Hermione smiled starting to get the idea that he loved when she touched him. She had started to become fairly certain that she loved touching him. There was something so alluring about him in his peaceful slumber that she could not seem to resist.


	13. Chapter 12: Leader of Men

**Chapter 12:** _ **Leader of Men**_

 _ **{"Tell your friends not to think aloud...Until they swallow...Whisper things into my brain...Your voice sounds so hollow...I am not a leader of men...Since I prefer to follow...Do you think I could have a drink...Since it's so hard to swallow...So hard to swallow..."}Leader of Men, Nickleback**_

 _ **{A/N: To avoid cannon disputes let me remind some of you that this is AU.}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _12 Grimmauld place, London Borough of Islington, England..._

 _ **C**_ rashing through another shard of his memory, Snape found himself back at 12 Grimmauld Place in the London Borough of Islington, in Muggle England. He remembered feeling utterly out of place as he followed The Headmaster up the steps and into the Ancestral Home of one of his greatest enemies. It had been amusing to find that the wealthy _Pureblood_ wizard had come from a home where he lived among muggles and that his house had been protected by a _Fidelius Charm._ Snape had been quiet as Dumbledore brought the young pale wizard into the house moving as easily through this place as he had Hogwarts. It was the first time Snape met the various members of what would come to be known as The Order of Phoenix. The young Potions Professor had been introduced to Molly and Arthur Weasley. Then found himself reacquainted with Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy and Professor Minerva McGonagall.

 _{ The young Potions Professor had done his best not to make eye contact with Mad-eye though the gruff wizard regared him with a grunt of disapproval. He had still been sore that he had not managed to break the boy even with his less than savory methods._

 _"Severus." said Narcissa as she made her way over to him._

 _The witch stood before him a vision much like usual, in black Victorian style dress complete with a high collar and unique swirl patterns that hugged her slender frame in all the right places. Her shirt decorated with thin ruffles and a lace about her long sleeves. She wore her long black/blond hair in a neat braid that rested over her right shoulder. Her pale skin as smooth as porcelain and eyes as black as the night sky. She had been the first girl since Lily that had ever looked upon him with longing._

 _She had been brilliant, with a poise unmatched by any witch he had come across in his young life. She had all the tact of a worthy Slytherin and a sweetness about her that_

 _"Narcissa." replied Snape polite as he took her hand in his and kissed it._

 _"A pleasure to see you again, Little Brother." said Lucius walking over to Snape._

 _He had been unusual rigid posturing self and oozing sophistication._

 _Snape had not known before then but Lucius had been an agent for the Ministry of Magic the entire time of his service to Voldemort. He had been specifically chosen due to his Pureblood status and detachment to the propaganda. Needless to say it was a very dangerous position for a wizard to have, especially with a wife and child to consider._

 _Snape nodded in his direction._

 _"Well, Albus do you mind telling me what this...criminal is doing here?" asked Moody._

 _"It's really quiet simple Alastor." said Dumbledore. "He is going to help us put a stop to the dark lord once and for all."_

 _"How do you know we can trust him?" asked Moody narrowing his gaze at Snape._

 _The young Potions Professor remained quiet._

 _Before Dumbledore could say a word Lucius interjected._

 _"We can trust him." said the handsome albino blond._

 _Moody turned his attention to him._

 _"And how do you figure that?" he asked in a gruff tone._

 _"I've known Severus for years." said Lucius. "He is a very loyal friend and keeps mostly to himself...he won't be any trouble."_

 _Molly Weasley's eyes fell on Snape._

 _"He looks like he's just a boy to me." she said noting the exhausted look of the young wizard. "A boy in need of a good night's sleep and a decent meal."_

 _The sympathetic older witch made her way into the kitchen. Snape sat alone in the front room ignoring Mrs. Black's portrait as she shrieked about him being an "insolent half-blood."_

 _He had not known why, but the Weasley woman had suddenly decided that she was going to insinuate herself into his life as a "mother figure," but he believed she was wasting her time.}_

Hermione disturbed the sleep of Severus Snape to get him to eat. He had showed significant improvement since the day before and would have his strength back fairly soon. She smiled sadly at him. Over the course of his illness she had grown accustomed to sharing his bed and grew quite attached to the dour wizard. She had no idea what his reaction would be to her once he awoke but she was sure that the closeness she had established in a bid to help him heal would come to an end once he was indeed back to being his usual self.

 _{ In the dead of night she had come to him. Eyes of emerald shining in the rays of the sun. They played together beneath the large tree where they met. Her smile innocent and filled with life. Life that was stolen from her the moment she met him. The young Potions Professor opened his eyes to find that he had not been alone. He had been staring into the face of Narcissa Malfoy who had been concealed by a robe of black silk with an expression he had not quite recognized on her beautiful face._

 _"What are you doing here?" asked Snape sitting up._

 _"I came to see how you were." said Narcissa. "I could hear you in the halls."_

 _"I'm fine." replied Snape emotionless._

 _"Severus, you don't look fine." replied Narcissa._

 _"I told you I am fine." he replied. "Go back to bed."_

 _"I heard you were taken into custody." said Narcissa with concern in her tone. "I may be apart of the Order along with Moody but I do not agree with his methods."_

 _"It was fine." replied Snape. "Nothing I couldn't handle."_

 _Narcissa shook her head taking in the cold dead look behind his obsidian eyes._

 _"Severus, what's happened to you?" she asked softly._

 _"As I told you before Mrs. Malfoy I am fine." he said putting emphasis on the "Mrs." aspect. "Go back to your husband...he is the one you chose as I do recall."_

 _"Severus, that's not fair." said Narcissa saddened by his treatment._

 _"Life isn't fair." replied Snape. "No one knows that better than I."_

 _Narcissa Malfoy nodded slowly and got to her feet. Snape continued to look at her with unrelenting coldness. He had not liked that she thought to comfort him. He had not needed her comfort or anyone else's. All he wanted was to be left alone. The pity of his ex-lover was not going to change the fact that Lily had been killed._

 _When Narcissa walked out Snape got to his feet and locked the door. He had been drenched in sweat and shivering in reaction to his exposed wet flesh hitting the chilly air that filled the room. He stood resting his raven hair clad head against the door with a few thoughts swinging toward beating his head against it._

 _Try as he might he could no better get the images of Narcissa Malfoy out of his mind than he could Lily. Her scent and presence brought back memories that he had repressed for so very long. She was his once and his body still believed that it was true despite her marriage to the Pureblood Lucius Malfoy._

 _"You cannot help me Cissy." he said softly. "No one can."_

 _Narcissa Malfoy had still been leaning on the other side of the door listening to his words. She had felt so very sorry for Severus. Thought it was not pity she was attempting to show the young wizard. She had known about Lily Potter for years but kept it quiet as he had done for her about her feelings toward her sister Andromeda being cast from the family because she married a muggle._

 _When Albus told them the story of what happened to The Potters, Narcissa knew then that Snape would no longer serve Voldemort. She called everyone to her family's ancestral home and gave shelter to the Order of Phoenix. After Moody's arrest of Snape she had not expected to see the wizard again given the boy's natural aversion to cooperation and past with Voldemort._

 _It pained her to learn that Snape was set upon after that imbecile Igor ratted him out to Moody and his Aurors. Despite his best efforts to hide them, she had seen the scars. Unable to do more for Snape at that moment she made her way back to her husband and back to bed._

 _Snape sank down to the ground leaning his back against the door._

 _Though he might have told everyone or acted otherwise, it was difficult to sleep in Grimmauld Place with Mad-Eye Moody across the hall. He had been was suicidal and self-loathing but he was still a very young wizard who felt fear and pain like any other. He simply cast it aside because he knew no on would care. They hadn't before and there was no reason for them to suddenly start up now.}_

"It's time to eat Professor." said Hermione softly stroking his pale sallow cheek.

 _"nisl."_ he hissed in parseltongue. _"sa...snart ans...ai...gi~e..." {"Meal."} {Yes...smart one.. I eat."}_

Snape forced his eyes open like before barely recognizing the bushy haired witch before him. He let her feed him soup like so many times before. He felt the softness of her touch on his pale scared flesh and as always couldn't help the soft moan that escaped his lips. He shifted in bed, his body seemingly starving for her warmth.

 _"snart ans."_ he hissed in parseltongue. _"snart ans...sa...ou...Her-mi-on-e...pard." {"Smart one...yes...you...Hermione...book."}_

Hermione studied him for a moment. The realized that his half closed eyes fell on the book she had brought in with her.

"You want me to read to you?" she asked with an eyebrow arched in confusion.

 _"Sa."_ replied Snape in parseltongue. _"snart ans...pard...sa" {"Yes smart one...book...yes."}_

Hermione picked up the book which had been about various ways to create new charms and started reading it. Snape closed his eyes seeming to fall back into an easy sleep but she heard the nearly faint hiss as he spoke in parseltongue.

 _"snart ans hesleuf."_ he hissed. _"bana ans ein~e snart ans." {"Smart one help."} {"Cold one have Smart one."}_

She smiled and continued to read letting her free hand roam along his pale scared chest. Snape let out another soft moan followed by another hiss in parseltongue.

 _"snart ans.. ~e...slifai...Ssnahpehss...bei∫ed."_ had been the last of what he said before he once again fell alseep.

If the bushy haired witch could speak the language of snakes or had understood some of the phrasing she would have known what Snape said roughly translated to:

"Smart one no leave Snape's bed."


	14. Chapter 13: Nocturnal Creature

**Chapter 13:** _ **Nocturnal Creature**_

 _ **{"Think you're kind of neat then she tells me I'm a freak...friends don't mean a thing...just leave it up to me...take time with a wounded hand cause it likes to heal...I'm half the man I use to be..."} Half The Man I Use To Be,Nirvana**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Sitting Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **H**_ ermione had been sitting alone in the darkness of the sitting room. She had fallen asleep while reading like so many times before but she had forgotten to go to bed. It wasn't until numbness pierced the bliss of sleep before the bushy haired witch awoke feeling a bit stiff as well as the tingling sensation as she stretched standing on weary legs. Both Albus and Aberforth had gone out on another supply run leaving Snape in her care. She had been fine with it. All the scariness of caring for the ailing man had been done away with and she was something of an expert by now. The bushy haired witch made her way toward the loo giving thought to checking in on the professor before she headed off to bed.

She made her way inside and had been utterly involved in her thoughts. The moment she stepped inside she had taken in the sight of Severus Snape's naked pale form as he stepped out of the shower. The water had been making it's way down his form like rain on a window pane. Her amber eyes widened in shock as they traveled lower and ended up below his waistline. He had not been by no means a small man.

"My eyes are up here, Miss Granger." said Snape in his usual baritone drawl.

Hermione looked up meeting his obsidian eyes. His raven hair had been soaked and slicked back out of his face. She could see the beginnings of five o' clock shadow appear on his sallow pale face. His eyes had bags beneath them and his expression had been the equivalent of a man who had been on his last leg in a race.

"Professor, you're awake." she said happily momentarily forgetting that he had been naked.

"In case you haven't noticed Miss Granger, I am more than a little under dressed for casual conversation." replied Snape. "That being said we are no longer at Hogwarts...there for I am no longer your or anyone's professor...so kindly step aside so that I may venture into my room to get properly dressed."

With his comment Hermione noticed that Snape had been naked again and once more her amber eyes fell below his waistline. Blush crept into her cheeks and she looked away from him.

"Oops sorry." she said.

"I'll bet." replied Snape.

He stepped out of the shower and summoned a towel to him that he wrapped around his waist. His raven hair in soaked strands as it dripped water down his pale back. Hermione looked back at him unable to take her eyes off the pale torso her fingers had grown quite accustomed to roaming while he slept through his illness.

The former Potions Professor attempted to squeeze passed the witch when she froze in place blocking the door he needed to exit. She had not realized that she had been holding her breath when the hardness of his lean frame gently grazed her own soft from as he slipped by her. The brief contact causing her to gasp.

Snape made his way toward his rooms leaving her to stand in place staring after him. After a minute the urge to use the loo returned with the distraction of a naked wizard being out of sight. Hermione turned her attention to relieving her aching bladder. When she finished up in the bathroom she ventured down the hall toward Snape's bed room. He had the door closed but she was amazed to find that it had not been neither locked nor warded.

 _Snape's bedroom, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Curious, the bushy haired witch twisted the bronze knob and made her way inside. She was treated to the sight of Snape standing in the dark near the bed with his arms folded across his chest. He had still been wearing the towel around his waist but all traces of the water from his shower had been gone.

"Miss Granger what on earth are you doing?" he asked in his usual baritone drawl.

"I-I came to see how you were doing." said Hermione. "It was my last stop before I went to bed."

Snape seemed to be amused by her gesture.

"As you can see Miss Granger I am doing quite well given the circumstances." he replied. "As well as can be expected I'd say for a man hated and hunted by the entire wizarding world at the behest of a boy too stupid to see the truth in front of his eyes even with spectacles."

Hermione sigh. _Same old Snape._

"Although, I am curious as to why you're here." he said with an eyebrow arched.

"I'm here because we were attacked after your trial and Dumbledore brought us here for safe keeping." she replied.

"I know all that." replied Snape. "I am simply asking why you feel the need to venture into was appears to be my given room inside this mausoleum they call a house."

"Well, when you were sick and it was only the two of us it seemed to be the prudent thing to do." said Hermione. "Besides all the running back and forth during your night terrors was exhausting."

"And the need to run your delicate little fingers along my person?" he asked still with an arched eyebrow.

Hermione blushed again.

"Well, you didn't seem to mind it." she said in her defense. "I've read that the sense of touch can help promote healing."

Snape seemed to be further amused by this.

"The advantages to being an Insufferable know-it-all." he said. "At the very least my curiosity has been sated...be off with you now little Gryffindor...leave me to my thoughts in peace."

"Alright." she said unable to help feeling a little disappointed. "But if you need anything Professor, I'll be across the hall."

"Miss Granger we're are not at Hogwarts anymore." he said.

Hermione smiled.

"I know but you'll always be Professor Snape to me." she replied.

Before he could say anything more she blew him a kiss and headed back toward her rooms. Snape stood with his eyebrows arched in confusion. He had not known why Hermione Granger had suddenly taken an interest in him but he couldn't help but find himself slightly unnerved by it and a bit impressed at the same time.

"Little Gryffindor." he said as he turned his attention back to his own thoughts.

He had missed quite a lot during his illness. The last thing he had remembered was being struck by a curse meant for Hermione. It was unsettling to known that the innocent young witch had been targeted because of her association with him. Then again she was most likely use to it since her days of being a friend to Potter with death eaters after her.

Still, it had been disconcerting to hear her referred to as his "whore."

"Couldn't stay away." he said shaking his head.

 _Hermione's bedroom, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Hermione had been more than a little disappointed when she went back to her bedroom. She had grown accustomed to sleeping in Snape's bed when they were alone in the house. It was comforting to know that he had been beside her and his low breathing seemed to keep the eerie silence at bay that had been present throughout the entire house. She had been glad that he had been okay but she wondered just what he intended to do now that he had been out of Azkaban and his health was restored.

She could tell that he had no desire to return to Hogwarts. The place held too many bad memories for him. It had seemed like he had not even wanted to be apart of the wizarding community as a whole in the wake of their treatment of him, no one could really blame him. Snape had been un-liked and little loved since his birth. He put little stock in people and even fewer stock in his emotions.

The bushy haired witch sighed.

She had not known how to feel about everything really. Taking care of him seemed to dampen that part of her mind that ventured onto over analyzing what the future would bring. Her thoughts drifted back to Professor Snape stepping out of the shower. Her cheeks flushed when she considered his pale naked form. He was by no means a small man. She couldn't get the image of his enormous pale cock out of her mind. The witch smiled unable to help herself. Who would have thought that beneath all those black robes and emotionless appeal was a red blooded wizard like any other.

After thinking about how strange the situation she found herself in had been she drifted off into a quiet sleep although it had not been easy process unlike those times she had fallen asleep in Snape's bed. _A girl can dream can't she?_ And dream Hermione did about a certain raven haired pale skinned Potions Master across the hall from her.


	15. Chapter 14: Finer Points of Literature

**Chapter 14:** _ **Finer Points of Literature**_

 _ **{A/N: Rest in peace cousin Mimi...may you find the comfort in dreams that alluded you in life.}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Sitting Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **S**_ everus Snape had been taking the opportunity to parse the bookshelves of his own volition. He had gotten up quite early that morning. The sun had not yet come up over the horizon and a chill had hung heavily in the air. Snape moved about the house fairly easily in the dark. Almost as easily has he had the dungeons back at Hogwarts. The scent of wet earth had been comforting to say the least. The former Potions Professor ventured down into to the basement, he had a preference for dark and hard to reach places. Most likely the result of his rather tragic up-bringing. Snape made his way over toward the many long shelves that lined the far corner of the basement wall and smiled as he came across what appeared to be a wine cellar. Long pale fingers rummaged the shelves until they plucked a bottle of red wine from the year 1888. Snape smirked as he took the bottle and held it up to get a better view. It had been covered in dust and a deep shade a red that reminded the former Potions Professor of blood.

"A very fitting display." he said as he turned and made his way back up the stairs.

He had just made his way into the sitting room where Hermione Granger had been curled up on a sofa with a book in her lap. She seemed to be quite engrossed in it. The former Potions Professor arched an eyebrow in curiosity as to why she had been up so early in the morning. Surely, she knew that he had not needed someone watching over him at this very moment. His illness had passed.

"Trying to catch the worm Miss Granger?" asked Snape in his best professor tone.

"Oh...Good morning Professor." said Hermione with a small smile.

Snape did not miss the fact that her cheeks turned red but said nothing about it.

"I am your Professor no longer." said Snape in a bored tone as he strolled over to the empty arm chair and took a seat.

"And I am your student no longer." Hermione pointed out. "If you want me to address you casually then I expect you to do the same."

Snape sighed conceding the point.

"Very well, Hermione." he said. "May I ask as to why you are up so early in the morning?"

"Well, Severus." said Hermione enjoying being on first name basis with her former teacher. "I found that I simply could not sleep...and my dreams as of late were no help at all."

Snape arched an eyebrow at this.

"Dreams Misss-Hermione?" he asked still not able to see her in a casual manner. "Or Nightmares?"

"Dreams." replied the bushy haired witch trying hard not to look at him as she turned her attention to her book.

Snape smirked understanding at last why that had been.

"Am I to take it that you indeed liked what you saw, Little Gryffindor?" he teased.

"Well, I cannot honestly say that I am sorry about it." replied Hermione.

Snape smirked at this as well.

"Nor can I." he admitted. "It was at the very least amusing...and I've had so little amusement in my life as of late."

Hermione felt a little saddened by his reference to being in Azkaban. A thought suddenly occurred to her that seemed to form from thin air.

"Severus." she said.

"Ahhh the curious mind of the insufferable Gryffindor has at last awakened." he said dryly.

"When did you learn to speak in parseltongue?" asked Hermione un-phased by his comment.

Snape arched an eyebrow at this.

"I beg your pardon." he said seemingly caught off guard.

"Well, sometimes when we were alone and you were still suffering from your illness...you'd speak in parseltongue." she explained.

Snape looked completely horrified.

"I-I do not recall..." he said trying to seem as if what she had just revealed had not bothered him.

"What does " _snart ans"_ mean?" asked Hermione getting lost in her rapid fire questioning mode.

"Where did you hear that?" asked Snape narrowing his eyes at the young witch sitting on the sofa.

"You said it." replied Hermione. "You always seemed to say it whenever I was in the room."

Snape considered this for a moment.

"I said those exact words?" asked Snape.

"Yes." replied Hermione now arching her eyebrow in confusion.

"From what I can recall during the war." said Snape. "Snart" is the serpent's equivalent to "Smart" and "ans" is suppose to mean One."

Hermione smiled when she recalled the last thing he had said when he hissed in illness.

"So you have been referring to me as Smart one?" she asked.

Snape arched an eyebrow at this.

"Smart one?" he said."Possibly serpent for "insufferable know-it-all."

Hermione smirked.

"I don't think so." she replied.

Snape scoffed.

"In the interest of keeping things civil...I am interested to know what book has caught the fancy of Miss Hermione Granger?" he asked.

She smiled at looked at her book.

"It's a muggle book I asked Dumbledore to pick-up for me while he was out." she replied.

"A muggle book?" he asked.

"Yes." replied Hermione. "It's called William Shakespeare's Macbeth."

Snape smirked. He had known the story well. It happened to be one of his favorites.

"Of course The Scottish play." he said in approval.

The bushy haired witch's amber eyes brightened.

"You know Shakespeare?" she asked.

"Obviously not personally, seeing as the man was long dead before even I was born despite what some of you might believe." said Snape. "But to answer your question, yes I am well aware of the works of the muggle William Shakespeare."

"What's your all time favorite of his works?" asked Hermione easing into the pleasant conversation.

Snape considered her question for a moment.

"I cannot truly say." replied Snape. "I am quite fond of a few of his works."

"What is your least favorite?" asked Hermione.

"Romeo and Juliet." replied Snape his face twisting in a grimace at the images of the young star-crossed lovers.

"The tale of young love." said Hermione reflecting on the description of the story.

"What made him think that two dunderheads from two equally ridiculous families." said Snape.

"I take it you don't believe in young love." said the young witch.

"Wrong I don't see the point of love at all." replied Snape. "But, what those dunderheads exhibit was the equivalent of what I've had to witness at Hogwarts once teenage hormones take effect."

The bushy haired witch laughed at this.

"I couldn't agree more." she said.

He had seemed to be genuinely surprised by her response.

"Am I to take it that you do not carry such ridiculous notions about unrequited love, Miss Granger?" asked Snape.

"You would be correct in your assumption Professor." replied Hermione.

Snape found himself intrigued by this.

"Miss Granger is this an assessment of fact or do you intend to speak solely for my benefit?" he asked.

Hermione let out a sigh.

"Professor, I speak from personal experience." she replied. "What I had once considered to be a notion of love was simply a fabrication driven by...as you put it "teenage hormones."

"Well, it appears you are much more intelligent than I originally believed you were." he said evenly.

Hermione smiled proudly.

"Why thank you." she said.

"Would you mind if I asked you whom it was that had enlightened you to such advanced thinking?" he asked.

"It's not a trade secret that I've been dating Viktor Krum for the last few years." said Hermione as if it were common knowledge.

"Forgive me if I'm not caught up on the latest gossip, Miss Granger." said Snape dryly. "I have been on extended vacation at the luxury resort of Azkaban for five years."

Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock. _How could she have forgotten?_

"Oh I am so sorry Professor... how could I have forgotten..." she stammered.

Snape held up a hand.

"It is quite alright, Miss Granger." he said evenly. "For a moment I had forgotten myself."

Hermione still looked apologetic.

Snape sighed. _And the conversation was going so well._

"I take it Mr. Krum did not live up to your previous expectations?" he said in an inquisitive tone.

Hermione thought back to Viktor and sighed. She had not wanted to tell the former Potions Professor that Viktor broke up with her because she wouldn't give up on the notion that he was innocent. Or that she and Viktor had constant fights about her continued support of Dumbledore's murderer.

"Actually Professor, I didn't live up to his." she replied.

Snape studied her for a moment.

"Welcome to the side of the enlightened Miss Granger." he said.

Before Hermione could say anything more Snape had gone. No doubt having evening plans for the wine he had just commandeered. The bushy haired witch sighed and turned back to her book. _And the evening was getting to be so promising._


	16. Chapter 15: Shadows Of The Mind

**Chapter 15:** _ **Shadows Of The Mind**_

 _ **{A/N: Alcohol and contemplation}**_

 _ **Warning: Sexual Content ahead (flashback)**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **B**_ rooding alone in the darkness of his so-called bedroom, Snape found himself in an increasingly drunken state recalling some events of his tragic past. He had not known why the memories had decided to rear their ugly head but they had been back and intensified by the wine flowing through his veins. The images as vivid as the days they occurred taking him further and further away from the place his body occupied. He could see the faces of those he no longer associated with and the same emotions he had suppressed resurfaced. The familiar cold and gray walls of Malfoy Manor surrounded him and the stench of the other death eaters. He recalled an incident born entirely of desperation, the rain had been coming down hard on this particular day and he received two visitors.

 _{ The sound of rain falling on the roof the eyesore known as Spinner's End had been the only pleasant sound. Earlier in the day Snape had entertained guests in the form of Wormtail, Bellatrix LeStrange and Narcissa Malfoy. He had been forced to make the unbreakable vow and did so quite convincingly. As the sky darkened and the sounds of the rain increased Snape retired to bed early with the weight of the world resting heavily upon his shoulders._

 _After what seemed like hours of staring up at the ceiling Snape found himself disturbed by yet another knock at his front door. The half naked pale wizard made his way down the stairs leading from his childhood bedroom toward the front room, which had been lined with thin shelves covered with row after row of books. He continued to make his way toward the front door feeling the cold of the hardwood floor against his bare feet._

 _"Who could it be at this hour?" he grumbled._

 _The dour wizard had debated wither or not to put on trousers but found that he had no time to decided as the knock came once more. He leaned forward and quickly undid the locks and pulled the door open. He had been stunned and confused to find that Narcissa Malfoy had been standing outside his home wearing a black hooded coat to protect her from being identified by anyone but him as much as she wore it to shield herself from the unpleasantness of the rain._

 _"Cissy?" said Snape confused by her appearance._

 _"I know it's late but I had to see you." said Narcissa. "May I come in?"_

 _Snape stepped aside and let the witch enter. He had been thinking as he watched her enter with a sway to her hips in an elegant fashion that he ought not have done so but it had already been too late. He closed the door locking it behind him and turned in time to see the witch rid herself of her heavy coat. She wore the same attire that she had when she first arrived with Bellatrix._

 _He noted that she seemed to be trembling and somewhat restless._

 _"Are you alright?" asked Snape in an emotionless tone._

 _"Y-Yes." replied Narcissa. "It is just nerves."_

 _Snape simply looked at her with an expression that matched his emotionless tone._

 _"Would you like some thing to drink?" he asked. "Perhaps some tea?"_

 _"Tea would be lovely." replied Narcissa._

 _Snape took his leave of her and ventured into his kitchen. Narcissa entertained herself with gazing about his bookshelves. It had not bothered her that Snape had been half naked. She had seen him in far worse a state than that being in service to Voldemort and when he returned from a meeting after being punished. They had a previous relationship after all and she was well aware of his prowess as a lover. Still, she couldn't seem to get a hold of her nerves._

 _After several minutes Narcissa sat down in one of Snape's arm chairs that had been before the fireplace and he returned with a hot cup of tea. The witch took it gratefully. He stepped back watching her curious as to why she had made a second trip out to his house in the middle of a rain storm. He supposed it was quite easy with Lucius locked away in Azkaban and Draco back at Hogwarts. The only reason he had come back to this house was to be of use to the dark lord at Dumbledore's request._

 _With a sigh Snape turned his attention back to the witch before him. She was truly a vision of beauty. He had not known wither it was the sudden onset of sorrow that had shown in her dark eyes or the desperation that seemed to ooze off her in waves. Perhaps it was a combination of both, he could never be certain._

 _"Better?" he asked still observing her._

 _"A little." she replied._

 _Snape continued to watch her curiously._

 _"Why are you here?" he asked getting right down to it._

 _Narcissa took a moment to set the tea cup and saucer down on a nearby endtable. The she looked up into his obsidian eyes._

 _"I needed to see you." she said._

 _"What ever for?" asked Snape._

 _Narcissa summoned her courage and got to her feet. The witch had not ceased trembling as she reached out running her soft delicate fingers along Snape's pale scarred chest._

 _"I wanted to be here." she said softly. "For you."_

 _Snape suddenly understood what she had been trying to say._

 _"No." he said._

 _"You give so much and ask for so little in return." said Narcissa. "Is it wrong to want to offer you comfort?"_

 _"You made your choice a long time ago." said Snape. "Lucius is your husband..."_

 _"And you are our friend." said Narcissa. "You've always been there when we needed you...especially when it comes to Draco."_

 _"All the more reason for you to stop this foolish notion." he replied._

 _Narcissa continued to let her hands roam all over his chest._

 _Snape closed his eyes taking in the sensation of her touch despite himself. It took him a moment to come to his senses and he grabbed her wrists with both pale hands._

 _"No." he said. "You cannot help me Cissy."_

 _"Let me try." she countered. "Severus we do not even know if we will all come out of this alive...once you commit the act that Draco was set up to do they will come after you and they will want blood."_

 _Snape knew this all too well._

 _"I am use to being hated." he replied. "It's been a way of life for me."_

 _At this Narcissa burst into tears. Snape sighed and wiped them away as they fell._

 _"Do not cry for me Narcissa." he said. "I am unworthy of your tears."_

 _At this she pulled her wrists free and pressed her body to his. Snape groaned at the contact. She could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest and looked up into his now hooded obsidian eyes._

 _"Severus." she said softly. "Let me...let me in...just for tonight...I beg you."_

 _Snape wanted to push her away. He wanted to send her back home to her manor and Lucius Malfoy's ever looming presence. But there was something about the look in her eyes. The knowledge of what he must do for her hung in the air like a soaked cloth and dripped reality into their minds. He knew he could be dead once the dark deed was done. He knew this would be the only time...the final time for him to feel like a man. Without another word of protest Snape let his pale lips crash into the ruby red ones of Narcissa Malfoy._

 _The witch moaned from the contact. The Potions Professor had been so turned on that he could hardly wait to bed her. He had not thought of what lie ahead nor Lucius was he took Narcissa down to the floor, magically doing away with all traces of attire until they were on the hard wood pale flesh against pale flesh with only a black rug between and the hard wood for cushion._

 _Snape towered above the beautiful witch his obsidian eyes drinking in the sight of her complexity. She ran her fingers up and down his back as he positioned himself between her slender pale legs. In a matter of seconds Snape entered the writhing witch on the floor a wave of ecstasy washing over him in reaction to the sensation her warmth provided._

 _"Yessss." he hissed lost in the feel of her body._

 _The witch below him moaned as she felt him stretch her to accommodate him._

 _Unable to focus on much else Snape began to thrust into the witch. She moaned beneath him as tears streamed down her cheeks. Memories of the last time they had spent together in this way came flooding back. Narcissa knew that he would be killed once the deed was done. He had been hated by a great deal of prominent figures in the wizarding community. She ran her fingers over the scars that lined his chest in various places._

 _"Severus." she said softly as he rode her into the floor._

 _His pale body flexing with each thrust. He could feel her heart beating as her tears continued to fall._

 _"Do not cry for me." he forced out with a grunt. "Narcissa..."_

 _The witch below could do little to stop her tears as she concluded this to be the last time that Severus Snape would be able to experience a woman. She found herself wrapping her legs around him tighter and throwing her arms about his neck. Snape looked down at her as sweat started to make his lengthy raven hair stick to his face and forehead._

 _"F-Fuck." he hissed. " Such a beautiful witch."_

 _They had gone on like that for hours with only the sound of the rain as a back drop to their various noises. Snape had finally reached his end pulling Narcissa right along with him. The witch yelled out his name as he collapsed on her unable to distance himself fast enough. When it was over Snape lay beside her breathing ragged._

 _With their first encounter over Snape could not resist taking the witch again and before he knew it they were in the kitchen, the bathroom, his bedroom, his parents bedroom, the hall, up against various doors and on the sofa. By the time they were done he had his fill and Narcissa left him sleeping in bed early the next morning._

 _She had placed a kiss upon his lips and told him that he had been wrong about no one loving him. Before she took her leave she told him that she wished that he could have found happiness. Snape woke up alone and proceeded to get back into his usual routine. He dressed and apparated back to Hogwarts fairly certain that he might not ever see Narcissa Malfoy again.}_

Presently, Snape downed the rest of his bottle of wine and slipped into bed. Despite his memory of being with Narcissa, Snape found that he could not keep his mind from wondering back to a certain bushy haired witch. Her amber eyes had been the last thing he saw in him mind before he drifted off to sleep.

Narcissa had wished him happiness. Perhaps now with the war over and the truth out he could at least find contentment. Even for a moment at a time.

"Hermione." he said in slumber as the images took over his mind.


	17. Chapter 16:The Bat and The Cat

**Chapter 16:** _ **The Bat and The Cat**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Sitting Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **V**_ oices had been thundering in the background as Hermione awoke and made her way toward the sound. She recognized the irate voice of former Professor Snape and the calm tone of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore as she ventured into the sitting room. Snape narrowed his obsidian eyes at the older wizard. The bushy haired witch could tell by the rigid way he held his body that Snape was highly upset and whatever news Dumbledore had brought him had not been to the dour wizard's liking.

"I am not staying in this house." said Snape.

"Severus, I'm afraid it can't be helped." said Dumbledore. "You and Miss Granger are still in a good deal of danger."

"I don't know about her, but I'll take my chances." replied Snape.

"This is not negotiable, Severus." said Dumbledore.

"Nothing ever is with you when it comes to me old man." replied Snape bitterly.

He folded his arms across his ebony clad chest in disgust.

"I'm sorry." said Dumbledore. "But you must stay here it's the only way to keep you safe."

"I do not need safe keeping." said Snape. "I am perfectly capable of looking out for myself."

"Severus I implore you to see reason." said Dumbledore. "When this is all over you may go on your way but not until."

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Hermione in confusion.

"Miss Granger, meet my new jailer." replied Snape gesturing toward Dumbledore. "It appears I've been placed in a new prison."

"That's enough, Severus." said Dumbledore narrowing his eyes at the young wizard.

"Apparently it isn't." said Snape in reply. "It's never going to be enough."

With that he left the room with rage radiating off him in waves.

"Why is he so angry?" asked Hermione looking after him as he disappeared down the hall.

"Severus is rather upset because I have just informed him that it would take some time before this mess with his reputation is cleaned up." replied Dumbledore. "Which means you both will be staying here until I say otherwise."

Hermione nodded.

"That doesn't explain why he was so angry." she said.

"Aberforth and I will be returning to public life." said Dumbledore. "It is important that I reestablish myself at Hogwarts to help speed things along and my brother has a business to run."

Hermione now understood why Snape was so angry. He would be trapped for what seemed like an infinite amount of time alone in the old manor with her. The more she thought about it. The more she realized that it would seem more like a prison to him. Being locked up inside a house all day every day unable to even venture outside.

"Ab will be giving you supplies on a regular basis so if there is anything you need feel free to tell him." instructed Dumbledore.

"I will." said Hermione.

"Do take anything Severus says to heart." said The Headmaster. "He'll probably be a bit bitter for a few days...but he'll get over it."

Hermione gave him a small smile and nodded.

"I'll try not to sir." she said.

"While we are on the subject, Miss Granger..." said Dumbledore. "How do you feel about staying here alone with him?"

"He's not so bad." replied Hermione. "He mostly just keeps to himself and we do a lot of separate reading."

"That's good." said Dumbledore. "Perhaps, I can make arrangements to create a lab for the boy...brewing potions has always been an activity that kept him busy and out of trouble in the past...perhaps it will again."

"Idle hands are the devil's playground." said Hermione recalling the appropriate muggle saying for the occasion.

Dumbledore smiled at her pleasantly.

"Exactly." he said. "Although it could not be more true in Severus' case."

Hermione chuckled at this.

"Well, I must be off." said Dumbledore. "The school is in such disarray."

"I understand Headmaster." said Hermione. "And thank you."

"Oh no Miss Granger it is I who should be thanking you." said The Headmaster. "Words could never express how grateful I am that you have stood by Severus after all this time."

"It was the right thing to do Headmaster." replied Hermione.

"But you were the only one to see it when everyone else was so busy trying to blame him." said Dumbledore. "You really are the brightest witch of your age Miss Granger, Severus is a lucky wizard indeed to have you in his corner."

Hermione smiled at this and watched as Dumbledore bid her farewell and disappeared through the floo.

"Bout time he left." said the voice of Severus behind her.

The bushy haired witch turned around to see him leaning against a wall with his long pale finger wrapped possessively around a bottle of freshly opened wine. His expression was blank and his eyes showed a hint of rage as he watched the floo for several minutes before turning to her.

"I suppose it could be worse." he said. "You are not that much of an irritant most days."

Hermione shook her head.

"Why think you." she replied. "I suppose your not as much of a git these days either."

Snape scoffed.

"Well, here we are Miss Granger." he said gruffly. "The bat and the cat...alone at last."

Hermione became aware of the sudden hooded expression his eyes had taken as he looked over her body. She had not known what to say in that moment before he broke the easy silence that fell over them.

"I'll leave you to it then." he said.

Then turned and walked briskly down the hall still clutching his bottle of wine. Hermione did not know what to expect during her days here with him but she was sure of one thing. They were not going to be boring like before when all he could do was lie in bed and ride out his illness. With a sigh the young witch made her way toward the kitchen with breakfast on her mind. _The bat and the cat. What a strange analogy._


	18. Chapter 17:The Effects Of A Damn Good W

**Chapter 17:** _ **The Effects Of A Damn Good Wine**_

 _ **{A/N: The consequences of getting drunk}**_

 _ **Warning Mild Content ahead**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **D**_ arkness surrounded the former Potions Professor as he continued to down the bottle of wine that he had acquired from the basement. It had been such a long time since he had partaken in the pleasures of human existence so he figured he would indulge just once. By the time he realized what was happening he had indulged until half the bottle had been gone. Feeling rather intoxicated and at the very least nothing like himself, Snape was hit with the notion to use the loo. Clad in ebony once more, Snape ventured out of his darkened room and headed toward the loo unable to really pick up his feet in the usual manner to avoid detection. His spy tricks had been put on the back burner for the evening and it had been freeing. The dour wizard placed his hand on the bronze knob. He turned it and it wouldn't budge. He glared at it immediately irate that it wouldn't open.

 _The Bathroom, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

The ration side of his brain would have told him that it meant that someone was inside. Unfortunately, for Snape the rational side had been on hiatus after the half bottle of wine was consumed. The dark wizard waved his hand over the knob and cast an unlock spell. He found to his relief that it had opened and he stumbled inside.

He should have noted the sound of running water and the steam from what could only have been someone taking a hot shower but, he didn't. His main concern was using the loo. Snape stood over the toilet bowl spelled the seat up and parted his legs just so they were on either side of the bowl. He stood firmly as he fished through his black trousers and produced his slightly erect cock.

Within seconds of being free and aimed over the toilet bowl, Snape sighed in absolute pleasure as he emptied his aching bladder. The water from the shower had continued behind him finally catching his attention. He finished his business and adjusted his attire and made his way over to the source of the noise. He pulled back the shower curtain to find Hermione Granger naked and standing beneath the shower head washing her bushy hair. She had been so engrossed in her activity she had not noticed him until the cool air from the exposed shower hit her slick skin.

Her amber eyes popped open and widened in shock.

"Professor Snape!" she said shocked "What are you doing here!?"

Snape's giddy obsidian eyes took in the sight of the beautiful naked young witch before him. He immediately became aroused in reaction. The amber eyed witch's glance had gone straight to his tented black trousers. Snape had not seen a woman much less a naked one in over five years. He had not even thought about how long it had been since his last sexual encounter before now.

He noted how the witch's whole body flushed but she made no move to cover herself from his view. Snape smirked at this.

"Well well." he said in his usual baritone drawl. "A bit of an exhibitionist are we Miss Granger?"

"No." replied Hermione. "I am simply trying to be fair in this situation."

Snape arched an eyebrow at her.

"Care to elaborate?" he asked.

"Well, I've seen you naked sir." she said. "I think it's only fair that you see me."

Snape chuckled at this.

"Gryffindor sense of fairness at it's finest." he said amused.

Hermione turned her attention back to taking her shower as if he had not even been there. Snape found the sight had been getting to him and with reluctance pulled away letting her finish. He trekked back to his room and closed the door behind him. His erection had reached the point of being painful and he needed to ease his discomfort.

 _Snape's Room Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

The Potions Master spelled off his clothes and stood naked in the center of the room fighting with his mind and his need . Part of him wanted to march back down to the bathroom and persuade Hermione in the most sympathetic of ways to let him shag her senseless. They would both get pleasure from the encounter and he would have solved his erection problem. The other part of him wanted no entanglement what so ever with a witch he had taught since she was the age of 12.

Frustrated and in a good deal of pain, Snape simply grabbed the bottle with the rest of the wine in it and slipped beneath the crisp white sheets of his bed. He took his free hand and began to work out his new found aggression with his hand. He took a sip from the wine as his thoughts traveled back to the naked young witch as she stood beneath the stream of hot water. The slick texture of his supple skin captured his imagination as he continued to violently stroke himself taking another sip of wine.

Another image came crashing back to him as he continued.

One that consisted of emerald eyes and strawberry red hair. It seemed the visions of the two witches clashed as his desire flooded him. Amber eyes and sandy brown bushy hair seemed to have won out and the image of the water from the shower running down her slick fair complected flesh overpowered anything else that he could have conjured on his own.

 _The Bathroom, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Hermione had been slightly horrified to find that Professor Snape had been in the bathroom with her while she showered. She couldn't get the intense look he had given her out of her mind. He had tented his trousers in a matter of seconds. It took a moment before she realized that Snape had most likely reacted that way because he had not see a woman let alone a naked woman's body in over five years. His stint in Azkaban had been quite the experience with daily beatings and a health dose of torture. She doubted he had time to contemplate his lack of being around women. With a sigh the bushy haired witch stepped out of the shower after shutting the water off.

The image of Snape's face when he watched her in the shower came back. The longing in his dark eyes unmistakable. She sighed wondering if she should have acted right then. Possibly told him that she had not been able to stop thinking about him since that day at Hogwarts and that being in such a close proximity to him for so long was making it harder for her not to.

Shaking her own baser thoughts from her mind she quickly dried herself and put on her clothes before she ventured out into the hall. The change in temperature had been easy to adjust to after she cast a warming spell.

 _Outside Snape's Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

The bushy haired witch made her way down the long dark hall and almost crept passed Snape's bedroom door when she could hear the faint sound of soft moans and the sharp whisper of bed sheets against bare flesh as she got ready to pass. She should have kept going. She should have made her way to her rooms as quickly as possible. The logical part of her brain had been screaming at her. _Go to bed Hermione. Just go back to your room and go to bed._ But she had not listened, she was much too curious as to what the former Potions Professor had been doing alone in his room so late at night. _What if he's having another night terror? What if he needs my help? Yeah way to rationalize it Hermione. He seemed to be okay when he was ogling you in the shower. Just go to bed and everything will be as it was before._

Hermione sat there for a moment unsure of what she should do. When all of the sudden she heard her name. _Had he been calling her? Was he in trouble? About as much trouble as a randy six year. You don't know that? Brightest witch of her age huh? Does someone need to spell it out for you? Professor Snape wouldn't do something like that. He's not a professor any longer. Well, he is a wizard like any other. No, he isn't, he's much more than that. Is that why you can't stop thinking about him?_

Unable to resist it any longer, Hermione placed her trembling hand upon the bronze knob feeling the cold metal against the warmth of her palm. Her breath quickened as she slowly turned it pushing ever so gently against the hard wood door and opened it just enough to peer inside. Immediately she was hit with the scent of herbs and fresh earth that always seemed to accompany him where ever he went. There in the semi-darkness of the room that had already been stamped by his less than stellar personality, she could see him in the center of his bed.

Her amber eyes had just made out the image of his pale scared chest half covered with a single crisp white sheet. His shoulder length raven hair had been in contrast to the brown head board that he leaned against cushioned only by the soft white pillows behind his back. The comforter on the ground at his feet. Hermione noted that Snape's pale eyelids had been closed tightly almost as if he were in heavy concentration. His pale lips barely parted as he let out another soft moan.

The bushy haired witch's eyes fell on the rapid movements near his waist line taking in the evident lining of his hand. Her eyes widened when she realized that Snape had been manually taking care of that tent she saw in his trousers. She should have left right then. Possibly given the man his privacy but she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from him. His hand had been pumping rather quickly beneath the sheet and seemed to be engrossed in his activity.

Unbeknownst to Hermione, Snape had been aware of her presence the entire time. He could smell the scent of jasmine in her bushy hair and his keen hearing picked up her light foot steps as well as her soft but ragged breathing as she watched him. He had seen her through his half closed pale lids as she ventured into his rooms as if she had been under some trance.

He let out a soft sigh as her scent hit him. He had been at it for what seemed like hours as she continued to watch and then he felt the rush of his release as it streamed out of his body and into the sheets uninhibited. Snape lifted the wine bottle to his lips and drank down the rest of the contents still very much aware that Hermione had been watching him. Her mouth had been agape as she stood there as if confused about what to do next.

In the grips of overwhelming passion brought on the sensations running through him Snape inadvertently called up Hermione's name as his release had been pulled out of him. Apparently, the young witch had not known that she was capable of driving a wizard to such passions. When he opened his eyes fully she had been gone and he was once again left alone with a good deal of questions running through his mind. _Perhaps this arrangement won't be so bad after all. It appears that Miss Granger is surprisingly pleasant company._


	19. Chapter 18: Spider's Web

**Chapter 18:** _ **Spider's Web**_

 _ **{A/N: "Come into my parlor", said The Spider to The Fly}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"You're just an innocent...A helpless victim of a spider's web...And I'm an insect...Going after anything that I can get...So you'd better turn your head and run...And don't look back..."} Tangled, Maroon 5**_

 _Hermione's Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **I**_ n the darkness of her room in Dumbledore manor, Hermione found herself staring at the ceiling unable to get the past few events of the previous night out of her mind. She had always prided herself on being able to recall things in the most vivid of detail and it often attributed to her being the fact spouting, insufferable know-it-all that had come to annoy Snape so much in the past. This had been the one time that her once prized gift had come back to haunt her. She remembered every detail in the image of Snape's naked body when she saw him in the shower and the images of him from the night before. The sound of him calling out her name when he had been locked in the grips of passion had sent chills down her spine and heat to places that had not experienced such attention since she broke up with Viktor Krum.

Try as she might Hermione could not get that voice out her head. Deep and rich baritone tingled against her surprisingly sensitive ears like spun silk from a spider luring her to what might be her inevitable doom. The heat in his eyes as he watched her in the shower was almost all consuming but he managed to restrain himself long enough to seek out his own brand of relief.

The bushy haired witch had not really known what she had done to bring about this strange wave over him but it seemed to be almost too much for him to bare as he reluctantly tore himself away from where he stood and ventured into his bedroom. He looked to be in a fit of madness as she watched his hand pump violently beneath the soft white sheet and his face contort in a wave of pure aggression. He had been mesmerizing in his movements and just the thought of what he could do to any witch lucky enough to fall into his snare was nearly overwhelming.

Hermione shifted in bed unable to get comfortable until finally she decided that she had enough and climbed out of it. The bushy haired witch had not known what she was looking for when she made her way down the darkened and quiet hall but she soon found herself standing outside Snape's bedroom door. She took a quick peak inside after having a breif mental argument with herself about respecting one's privacy. Much to her surprising disappointment he had not been in there.

She was about to turn and walk back toward her rooms when she heard the distinctive sound of pages rustling that had come from the sitting room. Moving quietly she ventured forward until she saw the ebony clad form of Severus Snape sitting in one of the leather arm chairs with a book in his hands. A bottle of wine had been next to him and she could see that it had been half way gone.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me Miss Granger?" he asked suddenly without looking up from his book.

"Y-You knew I was watching you?" she asked nervously.

Snape looked up from his book with a smirk filed across his pale face.

"I did not survive all these years as a spy for the order by not knowing when someone was watching me...Miss Granger." he said.

Hermione did not miss the apparent heat behind his obsidian eyes as he said this. She found herself increasingly uneasy beneath his dark gaze. He did not miss the slight trembling of her hands as she tried to hide them behind her back.

"Come into my parlor", said The Spider to the Fly." said Snape in amusement. "It is the prettiest parlor that ever you did spy...the way into my parlor is up the winding stair...and I have many pretty things to show you when you are there..."

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she recalled the poem.

"O no, no", said the little fly to ask me is in vain." said the bushy haired witch making her way toward the sofa. "who ever goes up your winding stair can never come down again."

"I'm sure you must be weary dear...with soaring up so high...will you rest upon my little bed?" Snape quoted his eyebrow arched as he did. "There are pretty curtains drawn...the sheets are fine and thin...and if you'd like to rest a while I'll snugly tuck you in."

Hermione giggled at his masterful delivery. Never once considering that he had been all too serious.

"O no, no...said the little fly...for I've often heard it said..." quoted Hermione in a playful manner. "They never, never wake again who sleep upon your bed."

Snape closed his book and leaned forward in his chair as the baritone drawl fell from his lips with the next series of quotes.

"Dear friend what shall I do, to prove the warm affection I have for you?" he asked in a voice filled with both charm and cunning.

Hermione burst out laughing at the serious look on his face.

"That was really good Professor." she said amazed. "I didn't know you knew the works of Mary Howitt too."

Snape smirked at this.

"I know a great deal of famous works done by muggles." he replied. "I wasn't always apart of the wizarding community."

The bushy haired witch considered this.

"Well it was still a very good impression." she said. "I doubt any little fly would be able to resist you had you been the spider in that tale."

Snape looked at her as if to be considering her words. _If only you knew little fly. If only you knew._

"Didn't get much sleep I take it?" he asked.

"No." replied Hermione truthfully. "I guess I'm feeling a bit restless."

Snape looked at her for a moment. The heat still present in his eyes. _I'll bet I can guess why._

"It'll pass." he replied. "It always does."

Hermione nodded. _Not bloody likely. It's your fault I can't sleep anyway._

"It's a good thing Dumbledore was kind enough to keep his library well stocked." said Snape turning his attention back to his book. "It's come in handy a time or two."

"On that we can agree." replied Hermione. "I've been here more times than I can count since we first arrived here."

Snape seemed amused by that.

"No doubt you've nearly read half of his collection by now." he quipped.

"Only a third of it." replied Hermione.

Snape laughed at this.

"I wouldn't doubt that you will rectify that very soon Miss Granger." he said amused.

"Like you're any better." she said in her own defense. "That's the twelfth book you've picked up since this morning."

Snape shrugged.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun." he said casually. "How else was I going to endure staying with an insufferable know-it-all for an extended period of time?"

"I think you should make more use of the wine cellar Professor." said Hermione.

"Why is that?" asked Snape.

"How else am I going to endure staying with a greasy git for an extended period of time?" she countered.

"Well played Miss Granger." said Snape.

"Naturally." replied Hermione.

Snape laughed again.

"What's so funny?" asked the bushy haired young witch.

"I believe I'm starting to rub off on you Miss Granger." he said with an arrogant smirk.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"Greasy git." she said annoyed.

"Insufferable know-it-all." he countered.

Hermione watched as he took the bottle of wine and drank some down. Having nothing else to do she grabbed it off the table as he sat it down and put it to her lips. He watched in amazement as she finished it off and sat the empty bottle back down. Then she turned and made her way back toward her rooms in a huff. Snape watched her retreating form with heat in his obsidian eyes and a smirk on his pale face.

"Come hither, hither pretty fly." he quoted as he watched her go.

He was feeling very much like the spider who had set his sights on the witty little fly. And just like the spider he knew that very soon she would be as the fly and come into his parlor. He watched her knowing all the while that once she came to him she would never be the same.


	20. Chapter 19: First The Pain

**Chapter 19:** _ **First The Pain**_

 _ **{A/N: A brief look at Punishment in Death Eater ranks}**_

 _ **Warning: Violence, Abuse**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's Room,Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **S**_ everus Snape had been asleep when the images came in rapid secession. His heart was beating thunderously in his chest as he shifted in bed. Then his mind had been filled with fear and anguish as he found himself dangling from heavy irons that went about his already pale wrists. The numbness from hanging seemed to set in and he watched as his bare body dangled in view of the glowing red eyes of his master. He had not recalled what he had done to displease the despot. He had been punished so many times it was hard to say for certain. Though the memory remained as muddled as it was by what was happening.

 _{ The angry eyes of the dark lord had been upon him. He could feel them as if to burn into his very naked flesh as they hung him. Like clothes on a line out to dry. His pale feet barely dangled from the cold stone floor. It had just been the three of them. The Dark Lord, himself and Bellatrix. The despot had entrusted her to his punishment. He knew of their mutual hatred for one another and used it to further the humiliation._

 _The insane witch's cackle had filled his ears._

 _"You have failed me Severus!" hissed Voldemort._

 _"I am sorry my lord." said Snape dutifully though he knew that it was to no avail._

 _CRACK!_

 _He felt the first strike rip through the smooth pale flesh of his back. The sudden heated stinging sensation sent a jolt through him. Bellatrix shrieked in delight as the blood came trickling down from the open wound. Snape gritted his teeth not wishing to give the overzealous bitch the satisfaction of making him cry out._

 _"I do not like to be disappointed!" hissed Voldemort "Especially, in a wizard so promising as you."_

 _CRACK!_

 _Another strike ripped through the smooth pale flesh on his back. More heated stinging and he jolted again. Bellatrix let out another shriek as more blood came trickling down from the open wound. Again Snape gritted is teeth._

 _"See that you do not fail me again!" hissed Voldemort._

 _CRACK!_

 _Yet another strike from the magical whip that had extended from the wand of Bellatrix LeStrange. Yet another application of heated stinging ripped through him. More blood trickled and Snape bit down on his bottom lip in reaction hard enough to draw blood. Still he did not cry out._

 _The dark lord gave Bellatrix a signal and she proceeded to allow her wand to whip Snape of it's own accord. He continued to jerk in reaction to the numerous strikes against his pale flesh._

 _CRACK!_

 _CRACK!_

 _So many strikes hit him that he seemingly lost track. Before he knew it he was a mass of bloody stripped and battered flesh. The heated stinging radiated all throughout his body but he had not seemed to care. His bottom lip bled from the abrasions his teeth had caused and he continued to dangle helpless and naked before the dark lord and Bellatrix who continued to gaze at him with dark eyes heated in amusement._

 _"Enough!" demanded the dark lord._

 _The beating stopped and Bellatrix retrieved her wand._

 _"Kura ans, bana ans, snart ans..." hissed Voldemort in parseltongue "a~e praughs tasi dai." {"Black one, cold one, smart one..."} {"Be proud this day."}_

 _Snape opened his mouth and spoke parseltongue in reply stunning Bellatrix greatly in the process._

 _"ai aposlogahs, fraeslis." he replied. {"I apologise, Friend."}_

 _The dark lord waved a hand at him dismissively._

 _"Slifai." he hissed at the beaten wizard. "~ine." {"Leave."} {"quickly."}_

 _"Sa...fraeslis." replied Snape hissing as well. {"Yes...friend."}_

 _Bellatrix had not understood a word that was said. She simply studied Snape and the dark lord. The knowledge that Snape could speak parseltongue had both intriged and unnerved her. Was there more to this Half-blood that met the eye? She resolved herself to finding out._

 _Snape turned his attention to Bellatrix after the dark lord ordered his release and billowed out of the throne room in disgust._

 _"~ine ~e praughs do~e." hissed Snape as he glared at her despite the wounds and blood.{"Be not proud dog."}_

 _Bellatrix eyes widened when she heard him. She did not know what he had said but it was most likely an insult considering who he had been._

 _She hesitated before releasing his bonds. He glared daggers at her as she stalked about making a show of encircling his battered carcass as if she had been a vulture about to consume her meal. He opened his mouth to speak but found himself quickly silenced by her cruel hand methodically stroking his exposed cock._

 _"~e." hissed Snape so caught off guard that he forgot to speak English. "~e...dor~e fasi!" {"No."} {"No...do...that!"}_

 _Bellatrix continued to stroke him un-phased by all of the hissing._

 _He let out a groan when she squeezed him._

 _"Ou...aka~e... do~e." he hissed in parseltongue. {"You...run...dog."}_

 _Bellatrix had been caught off guard as his body grew rigid despite her touch. His obsidian eyes flashed with both rage and hatred._

 _"ACCIO...~IK!" he shouted half speaking the incantation and half in parseltongue._

 _Snape summoned his wand to his clasped pale hands. He freed himself and summoned his attire fueled by rage and a burst of adrenaline. Before the witch could speak he was gone in a crack of thunder.}_

Presently, Snape sat up in bed with sweat pouring off him in waves. His repulsion of Bellatrix LeStrange had known no bounds but even still she seemed to get to him. The dour wizard found it quite aggravating that despite that repulsion, he had been painfully aroused.

With a sigh, the former Potions Professor slipped out of bed and made his way toward the sitting room clad only in black trousers. He paid no attention to the coldness of the hard floor below against his pale bare feet.

He had not expected Hermione to be up already sitting on the sofa in her usual spot with a book in her lap.

"I take it you had a restless night as well, Miss Granger." said Snape making his way toward his usual chair.

Hermione looked up at him. At first she was startled that he had been without a shirt or his usual trademark attire but then she noted it wasn't like she had not seen him shirtless before. It was simply that it was an adjustment when seeing him walk about.

"It looks as if I am not the only one." she said fixing her amber eyes on him.

"No it appears not." replied Snape.

He suddenly held up his hand and opened it stretching his long pale fingers into the open air.

 _"Accio vinum meum."_ he called out.

Hermione had been amazed as a bottle of half finished wine made it's way to his hand without spilling a single drop or shattering along the way. She shook her head as he put it to his pale lips and drank from it.

"Since we both appear to be awake how about we play a game." he said swallowing down his sip of wine.

"What kind of game?" asked Hermione with an arched eyebrow.

"Nothing so far from what we haven't been doing already." he said. "Quotes and so forth...only you must give the author and the name of the work."

"I'm listening." said Hermione closing her book and giving him her undivided attention.

Snape took a sip from his bottle and thought for a moment.

"Take thy beak from out me heart." he said.

Hermione smirked as she instantly recalled from where the quote came.

"That's easy." she said. "The Raven, Edgar Allen Poe."

"Well played." replied Snape. "Your turn."

"Be not afraid, our fate cannot be taken from us, it is a gift." quoted Hermione.

Snape smirked.

"You have to do much better than that Little Gryffindor." said Snape. "I dwell within the realms of the depraved quite often."

"Answer the quote." said Hermione.

"Dante's Inferno, Dante Alighieri." replied Snape.

They had gone back n forth with their quotes and answers neither one managing to stump the other. It had been near on day break before they had started to feel tired from lack of sleep.

"Your turn." said Hermione.

Snape turned up his bottle finishing off the last of his wine.

"Alright, Insufferable know-it-all...try this one on for size..." he said feeling the euphoria from the beverage that warmed his blood. "A drink beyond that of the mortal plain."

Hermione searched her mind relentlessly but had been unable to come across the answer.

"I-I don't recall that one." she said ready to concede defeat.

Snape smirked.

"Do you concede?" he asked.

Hermione sighed and nodded.

"How easily you fold." he said amused. "But I feel I should finish to give you perspective."

"Go ahead." insisted Hermione thought she was feeling the effects of lack of sleep.

"Pain... A drink beyond that of the mortal plain...Where welts spring like wheat...The sensation of heat... And burning still...It keeps returning...The wetness of tears...From over the years...Falling ever like...Rain." quoted Snape.

"That was beautiful." said Hermione. "And kind of morbid...Who was it that wrote it?"

Snape smirked again.

"You're looking at him." he said.

Hermione stared at him in amazement. She had been thoroughly impressed that he had composed the poem and utterly annoyed at being cheated.

"No fair you used an original." she said.

Snape shrugged.

"Never said we couldn't." he replied.

Hermione considered this. It was true...he never did say that the work couldn't be original. _Sneaky Slytherin._

Snape chuckled as he got up from his seat riding high from his victory with wine warming his blood.

"Cheer up Insufferable know it all." he said pleasantly. "You can't win them all."

With that he took his leave of Hermione leaving her to ponder the state of the tormented soul that was Severus Snape.

Pain.

A drink beyond that of the mortal plain.

Where welts spring like wheat.

The sensation of heat.

And burning still.

It keeps returning.

The wetness of tears.

From over the years.

Falling ever like

Rain.

-S.S. (1-20-16)


	21. Chapter 20: A Most Unusual Discovery

**Chapter 20:** _ **A Most Unusual Discovery**_

 _ **{A/N: A**_ ** _nimagus?_** _ **...the first half of this scene was inspired by my cat...Severus. LOL.}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's Bedroom, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding world..._

 _ **S**_ hifting in the depths of a deep and restless sleep, Severus Snape had been unaware of the creature that had suddenly inhabited his bedroom. It had been a rather large beast, about ten feet long with a three foot length tail. The creatures body had been strong and compact, with powerful forelegs, incredibly sharp teeth, and sizable jaws. A lengthy raven mane had been about it's great neck as it's short black glossy fur blended in with the darkness of the night. The magnificent beast stretched out it's long snout and forced open the heavy wood door left cracked by it's owner. In a matter of seconds it ventured into the darkened narrow halls it's tail sticking up with fine raven hairs on the end as it rounded a corner.

Golden eyes focused as the scent of others it's nose. Something soft and warm was waiting behind one of the doors. With a low growl, the magnificent creature stretched on it's hind legs using it's massive forepaws to claw at the hard wood of the door as if it had been a common scratching post. Another growl escaped it as it continued to claw almost desperately to get to the being on the other side. For some reason, the beast believed it's mate to be held captive and in need of assistance.

When it couldn't get into the room, the beast took off toward what appeared to be a front room littered with very old and decadent furniture. The chill of the night had no effect on the creature with fur as black as midnight and ears keen enough to pick-up the sound of the whispering winds outside the manor.

Large black claws descended upon furniture slashing and tearing at the easy fabric like a hot knife through butter. Something in the distance caught it's eye dangling absently. Live prey. The golden eyes grew closer in the darkness every muscle poised and ready. In one leap it descended upon the dangling prey capturing it within it's large paws. A roar of triumph escaped rippling through the darkness. Deep and filled with aggression. Large black paws batted at the prey and a loud crash ensued shattering whatever remained of it.

Hopping out of the mess below, the yellow eye ventured toward the sofa. A scent captured by it's powerful nose had gotten it's attention. The magnificent creature lept onto the couch rubbing it's face against the sofa in the spot where the scent that had caught it's attention had come from. It licked at the scent rubbing it's fur covered cheek against the cushions on the sofa purring loudly.

 _The Sitting Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Hermione Granger's amber eyes sprang open at the sound of loud and furious crashing. Her ears picked up the sharp tone of shattering and she scrambled out of bed. With her heart pounding in her chest in reaction to the adrenaline flowing through her, she ventured on high alert in the direction of noise wand at the ready. She didn't remember when she had grabbed it, or if she had even summoned it to her hand but she wrapped her fingers around it tightly. Another crash and her steps hurried in time for her to see a rather large black lion with golden eyes, a slick obsidian coat, and a long raven mane.

The big cat had made a mess of the sitting room, slashing it's rather large claws through the furniture and topped tables. It jumped onto the sofa sniffing about the Hermione's usual spot and licked it's lips twisting and rolling in her apparent scent. The stunned bushy haired witch watched as the big beast made it's way over to Snape's usual chair and it sat back on his hind legs with it's tail wrapped around the back paws like a house cat's. The fore paws had been poised stretched like arms before her.

Amber met obsidian as they appeared to lock eyes. Pleased to catch the welcome scent of it's mate. The black lion made it's way over to Hermione who felt oddly safe in it's presence. She put away her wand and extended her hand as the big cat came slinking up to her stretching its body and rubbing against her legs in the manner of a common house cat. She noted that his tongue had been as rough as sandpaper as it graze the skin on her hand but wet and warm as well.

The bushy haired witch got a feeling of familiarity from this beast.

"Severus?" she asked studying it.

The black lion responded by falling to the floor and rolling onto it's back. Hermione sighed and dropped down to her knees in a bid to pet him. Rubbing her hands across the cats soft underbelly. The black lion started purring as if to be relishing her touch. The bushy haired witch noted two things as she kneeled there petting the enormous feline. One: He most definitely was Severus Snape apparently in his animagus form and Two: even as a cat Snape had a rather large pale cock.

Hermione shook her head as she watched Snape roll about on his back driven by instinct to utter a mating call. She called it a night after Snape kept trying to gauge her scent sticking his nose into her crotch and licking at her night gown. _He is so not living this down in the morning._ Having solved the problem of what was making the strange noise, Hermione headed back to bed lazily casting a few cleansing and repair charms over the sitting room before she disappeared into the back hall.

Severus the black lion followed after her in a trot but was met with her bedroom door being slammed in to his face. The reaction was so fast that he had to keep his nose from getting injured in the process. He let out a feral growl paced the halls and then tried his hand at clawing the now magically sealed door.

 _Morning..._

Severus Snape the wizard awoke to find himself sprawled out on the floor as if guarding Hermione's bedroom door. He had been sporting a painful morning erection and felt like he had not slept at all the previous night. The dour wizard had been stunned to find that he had been naked as he got up off the floor. No sooner had he reached his feet did Hermione's door swing open and she stepped outside with a rather twisted smirk on her face. If he was embarrassed by the scene he did not show it. The Slytherin in him only wished to use this as his advantage. He had hoped to lead the little fly to his parlor in the near future but now it seemed it would be sooner rather than later.

"Good morning Bagheera." said Hermione still smirking.

She seemed to be desperately trying to keep herself from noticing that he had been naked.

"You are aware Miss Granger, that Bagheera was a panther." said Snape in a gruff voice from the recent wake up.

"I know that." replied Hermione. "But, I don't know any clever muggle based quips about large black lions."

Snape's eyes widened for a second before the flash of shock was gone beneath the mask of indifference.

"Y-You saw my form?" he asked stunned.

The bushy haired witch nodded.

"You were beautiful." she said in awe. "And power, possibly the most majestic animal I have ever seen."

Snape scoffed.

"Yet the irony was not lost on you, I am sure." he replied almost bitterly. "The former Head of Slytherin House, becomes a bloody Lion in animagus form."

"Not really." replied Hermione. "Your form suits you."

Snape arched an eyebrow at this.

"And how do you figure?" he asked folding his arms across his pale bare chest.

"Well given all that you've gone through in your past...it's no wonder that your form's base color is black." said Hermione. "Perhaps, it has something to do with the dark nature you hide so well."

Snape rolled his eyes.

"This does not explain my being a lion of all things." he said bitterly.

"Well, that has to do with who you are as a person." said the bushy haired witch. "You are one of the strongest and bravest wizards that I know and the combination of that coupled with unwavering loyalty and you have yourself a Slytherin Lion...besides Bagheera... _Panthera Leo_ is close enough."

Snape shook his head.

"Insufferable know-it-all." he said.

Hermione shrugged.

"Call me what you'd like but I paid attention in Transfiguration class." she said.

"Cheeky witch." replied Snape. "One of these days I am going to do something about that pretty little smart mouth of yours."

"I'm sure you'll think of something." said Hermione shooting him a heated glance.

He had not missed it when her amber eyes took in the sight of his erection before she ventured off into the sitting room as if nothing ever happened.

"Cheeky witch," said Snape shaking his head before he made his way toward the loo. _Oh yes he was going to do something about that witch and it would be fairly soon. Patience. Patience little fly. Soon you will be mine._ With all the banter it had not been lost on Snape that Hermione did not seem to mind that he had been naked in her presence. _What a curious development. Curious indeed._


	22. Chapter 21:Stimulating Banter

**Chapter 21:** _ **Stimulating Banter**_

 _ **{A/N: an interesting conversation between two intellectuals}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Sitting Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **I**_ t had been a rather interesting previous night when Snape spontaneously reverted to his animagus form. Hermione was hoping to question him a bit more on it since he had been naked after he awoke and they hadn't gotten the chance to speak. She was more than excited when Snape came slinking into the sitting room. He looked at her with his raven hair curtaining around his sallow cheeks and she immediately thought back to the majestic black lion with it's raven mane. His obsidian eyes focused on her as he took his usual seat in the arm chair by the fire.

"Looks like you restored everything well enough." said Snape taking in the scenery.

Hermione looked over at him from her spot on the couch and nodded.

"Well enough." she agreed. "Any idea why you transformed in the middle of the night?"

Snape considered this for a moment. He had been asking himself that same question for the past hour and a half.

"The best I can gauge is that my apparent for was seeking a mate and took over on instinct." he said.

"Well, perhaps your form was simply following the mating instinct of a real lion." said Hermione. "It maybe that it took over because it knew it was close to a lioness in heat."

Snape smirked.

"Are you in heat Miss Granger?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

Hermione blushed.

"I-I didn't mean me." she replied.

"Hmmm." said Snape looking over her with curious obsidian eyes. "Are you an animagus Miss Granger?"

Hermione nodded not sure why he needed to know.

"Yes." she said.

"And what is your form?" he asked.

"I'm a lioness but that..." she started and suddenly trailed off with her amber eyes widening.

Snape smirked.

"Well, there you have it." he said amused. "My animagus form was indeed reacting to a female lioness in heat...a well put together observation wouldn't you say Miss Granger."

Hermione could only stare at him too shocked to speak.

"I could imagine that you find some similar discomfort as I often hear you tossing and turning about at night." he continued. "Can't quite get the image of my cock out of your mind, Miss Granger?"

Hermione flushed as she guessed he had been in her mind. he had always been impatient when ever he wanted answers and like a blood hound when he searched for them.

"I haven't been with a woman in over five years." said Snape. "Even before then there was few far and in between."

The bushy haired witch could not believe that they were having this conversation.

"If I may be so bold as you Gryffindors often are, When was the last time you have had a sexual experience Miss Granger?" asked Snape with an arched eyebrow.

Hermione considered her answer.

"Since before Victor broke up with me." she replied honestly.

"So it has been quite some time for us both." said Snape.

Hermione nodded uneasily.

"We are both adults Miss Granger and Hogwarts is no doubt as far from us as it will ever be given the circumstances." said Snape.

"What are you suggesting?" asked Hermione not sure why she had asked that question.

"What I am suggesting Miss Granger is that you and I venture into a more suitable arrangement that meets both our current needs." said Snape. "To put it plainly...I wish to...how did young Mr. Weasley put it...shag you."

If Hermione had been drinking something she would have no doubt spit it out all over the floor by now. She should have taken this as a sign that she should get away from him and out of that house as soon as possible come hell or high water, but she didn't. She opened her mouth and the next few words set the stage for what was to come indefinitely.

"What would happen if I did agree to it?" she asked not flinching from his gaze.

"I'd have to show you better than tell you, Miss Granger." said Snape with a flicker of heat behind his obsidian eyes. "But I can promise you...that you will not...be disappointed."

At this Hermione found her breathing had become ragged and it was difficult to keep her mind from venturing in directions. Images of a naked Severus kept flashing through her mind.

"I-I don't know how to feel about you." she said looking down at her hands suddenly nervous in his presence.

"That's quite alright." said Snape. "All I am asking for is the chance to...meet your needs and mine as well."

"S-So you want..." she started but was unable to finish.

"Yes." he replied already knowing what she was going to say. "There is no pressure...Miss Granger...you don't have to indulge me if you do not wish to...but if you are ready and willing I will be pleased to assist you."

Hermione said nothing as she considered this.

"I only see to give you the release you have been denying yourself." he said. "In the process I will find mine...nothing more."

"Why not nothing more?" asked Hermione with an arched eyebrow.

"Because I do not believe in silly notions Miss Granger." replied Snape. "I am not a kind wizard nor do I inspire unwavering loyalty in those that seek to sate their curiosities in my company, my appearance leaves a lot to be desired but what I lack in looks I make up for it in other areas...I have been hated for much of my life and have no illusions as to the contrary...even now people want for my blood..."

Hermione recalled all the events that lead them to this point as he continued.

"I am a former prisoner...with not even a teacher's salary to offer a woman of any kind." he said. "I will not pretend other wise and neither should you...if you chose to give yourself to me so that we can gain mutual release than expect nothing out of it but what I have told you...I do not form attachments...they have proven useless where I am concerned and I have no need for them."

The bushy haired witch thought it sad that this was what a hero like Snape had been reduced to. And all because no one took the time to love Snape as he truly deserved. The witch felt a pain in her heart for the sad man before her despite his aversion to sympathy.

"I-I need some time to think about this." she said.

Snape nodded.

"Understandable." he reasoned. "But I meant what I said...you cannot help me Miss Granger...I am not one of your bloody house elves...I know my place in this world and I've earned it justly."

With that Snape ventured into another part of the house giving her all the time and space she needed to come up with her answer. Hermione had not liked the idea of being with the dour man and he feel nothing about their union one way or the other. Then she started thinking about all the many ways she could save him.

Perhaps the way to reach Severus Snape wasn't on any type of emotional plain. Perhaps it had a lot to do with the physical aspect of him. He could never allow himself to feel his emotions. He had spent so many years repressing them. In doing so, it kept him alive and focused on his mission. Now he had not needed to keep himself so guarded, but old habits die hard it seemed.

The bushy haired witch sat alone and contemplated further. _Was she really ready to have a physical relationship with Severus Snape?_ She had begun to believe that she really was starting to think like that fly caught in the spider's clutches. Yet another part of her recalled that broken wizard that she had nursed back to health not too long ago. His weak and frail frame beneath her finger tips as he moaned from the warmth of her touch.

It had been more or less the same when he was in his animagus form, the black lion purring when she rubbed his belly. Perhaps he can only feel when there is physical action involved. She couldn't imagine what it was like to be him. Cut off from the rest of the world because he cannot access his emotions. It wasn't as if she had not fallen for him. She knew the moment Harry sent that curse through him that what she felt for Severus Snape was not what a normal student feels for their Professor.

 _So what now? was she really ready to take the next step no knowing if he would be able to reciprocate the affection she had been cultivating for him for all these years?_ The bushy haired witch did not know for certain that this was going to be a good idea but she had made up her mind right then and there. She got up off the sofa and made her way toward the darkened halls to give Severus Snape her answer.


	23. Chapter 22:Shameful

**Chapter 22:** _ **Shameful**_

 _ **{A/N: The Fly finds itself in the Spider's Parlor...hopefully this comes out right...For those of you that noted the mistakes in the story, I will go back and fix them later...I've just been exhausted via the day to day crap we've all got to endure.}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **Warning: Sexual Content ahead (thought not terribly graphic)**_

 _Outside Snape's room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **F**_ ear coursed through Hermione as palpable as her blood in her veins but she steeled herself. The bushy haired witch took a deep breath and knocked on the hardwood door. When he didn't answer she considered leaving but was stopped when the door came open as if on it's own accord. It was the middle of the day but his room had been darkened, possibly due to personal choice. She stood as if frozen in place unsure how best to proceed when a rich baritone voice called out to her and she found herself with sure footsteps once more.

"Enter." he had said from where he stood in the dark.

Hermione made her way inside unsure of what to think. As soon as she reached the end of his bed, the door closed behind her locking in place. Before she could take a breath she caught the scent of herbs and fresh earth behind her. She felt the tingle of his whispered contraceptive spell in her belly and his pale hands roaming along her slender frame.

"Welcome to my parlor little fly." he whispered softly in her ear. "I'm afraid it's going to be a long while yet before I let you go."

Hermione had been too lost in the sensation of having him near her to respond. Yet the witch gasped when Snape suddenly pressed his prominent erection into the backs of her thighs. She heard a low growl come from him as he leaned his head near her ear and wrapped his arm around her waist. She could tell that he had been dressed only in his boxer shorts but the feel his bare chest against her back was intoxicating.

The bushy haired witch closed her eyes feeling his pale lips graze her neck. The arm around her waist tightening possessively. There was a moment when she heard him whisper a removal spell and she suddenly felt the coolness of open air on her newly exposed skin with the exception of her bra and knickers.

"Professor, what a dark voice you have." said Hermione reeling from the sounds of his speech.

Snape had not missed a beat following her Little Red Riding Hood reference. He had not minded being cast in the role of the hungry wolf it had been rather fitting considering the circumstances.

"All the better to speak to you...my dear." replied Snape kissing her neck.

"Professor, what big hands you have." said Hermione feeling his long pale fingers against her skin.

"All the better to squeeze you with...my dear." replied Snape taking the time to squeeze her bra covered breasts.

She let out a small gasp at the slight pain and backed into him. He let out a dark chuckle and continued to bite at her neck. Her scent was exquisite. Much better than the rot and piss he had to inhale as part of his torment back in Azkaban. Her warm soft skin was only a prelude for the event to come and just the thought of it was driving him insane with desire.

Images of him naked in the shower came back to her as she felt his boxer clad erection pressing into her. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest from all the nearly overwhelming stimulation he had been causing. She had not been aware of what she was saying but the first thing that came to mind had been more banter.

"Professor, what a big cock you have." said Hermione feeling only the intense heat radiating off his rigid body.

"All the better to bed you with...my dear." he replied darkly.

She felt the sudden rush of heated air as Snape vanished her knickers. The feel of his boxer shorts against the exposed flesh of her backside had been surreal. He covered her body with his own kissing and biting at her neck while grinding his still covered erection into her slender form as if being under some kind of compulsion.

Snape had not known what came over him. He had never been unable to control himself in this situation before. It had been a bit disconcerting hearing the soft wanton moans of the young naked witch before him. The urge to shred the only article of clothing between him and her warm body filled him without mercy.

He lifted the naked young witch into his arms and carried her over to his bed. Hermione let out a whimper when her body hit the mattress. The loss of contact with his body left her feeling momentarily cold. Snape vanished his boxer shorts and climbed into bed, positioning himself so that he was just inches above her writhing form.

Snape leaned down occupying himself with biting her exposed breasts causing Hermione to yell out at the slight pain of his teeth against her flesh. He had her writhing in the palm of his hands when suddenly he stopped looking down at the wanton young witch with an unfamiliar expression filed across his pale face. Hermione's amber eyes fluttered open at the loss of contact and she arched an eyebrow at him in confusion.

It was clear that he wanted her. He had said as much but she didn't understand what had been taking him so long. _Was he teasing her? Did he know how much she desired him? Was this apart of some sick joke to him?_

Snape seemed to be amused by her thoughts.

"I assure you Miss Granger, I do not joke when it comes to matters such as this." he said.

Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Hermione." she said. "Given the situation Severus, I don't see the need to keep up pretenses."

Snape smirked down at the young clearly frustrated witch.

"As you wish..." he replied trailing off a bit at the end.

She had been caught unawares when he took his erection in hand and positioned himself between her slender thighs.

The young witch let out a scream when he entered her in one hard thrust.

"Hermione." he said in a rather smug fashion.

The young witch let out a moan feeling her body adjust to his size. Snape leaned down continuing to bite at the familiar spot on her neck. Hermione lifted her hips in reaction causing him to slide in deeper. The friction had been enough to jolt Snape out of his teasing and he had to fight to keep from letting his eyes roll in the back of his head.

"Yessss." he hissed at the pleasure the witch's warmth created. "snart ans."

Hermione continued to moan beneath him. Feeling that she had adjusted at last Snape gave her an experimental thrust. Hermione let out another moan and he gave her another. Unable to hold back any longer, Snape continued to thrust into the willing young witch below him. Jolt after jolt of pleasure filled him seeming to erase the agony he suffered at the hands of his captors with each new thrust.

The bushy haired witch surprised him digging her fingernails into the flesh of his back. Snape hardly minded it. The dark lord had taught him long ago that one could not experience true pleasure without the presence of pain, or else how could one tell the difference. In Snape's case the minor sensation of pain contributed to his mounting pleasure.

The pale wizard's naked form flexed as he jerked the young witch below him all across the bed. The crisp white sheets were wrinkled by the friction of their heated bodies. Hermione let out a shriek when he squeezed and pinched at her thighs while still kissing at her neck in time with his thrust.

After the first ten minutes Snape lost control of himself pounding into the young witch with reckless abandon. There were no words between the two of them. Only the sound of the mattress springs, her moans, his deep animal like grunts, and the wooden headboard beating against the wall in time with his rhythm.

Sweat had begun to pour off the pale wizard making his lengthy raven hair stick to his newly wet face. Hermione felt her own hair sticking to her sweat blasted flesh as well. The young witch could not believe the sensations running through her body and what was more bazaar was that the Potions Master was causing them.

She never would have imagined that being with him would have been like this. The dour wizard made it a point to ensure no one got close to him and in doing so he lived a mostly solitary life. The image of the man back in Azkaban clad in irons and beaten within an inch of his life on a daily basis filled her mind.

Snape increased his thrusts driving into the young witch harder than before.

"No." he said as he continued. "Do not cry for me...Hermione."

The bushy haired witch let out another series of moans unable to do much else as he erased all thought and memory with his intensity. She could do little to stop the tears that had already gathered in the wells of her eyes and they trickled down her cheeks. Snape found himself losing control once more driving into the young witch at a harder and fast pace.

She felt better than he could have ever imagined and seemed to be capable of taking even his roughest thrusts in stride. The hours passed without much care from the witch and wizard in the wake of their activity. Snape seemed to have boundless energy for a time, a possible side effect of going without for such an extended period of time.

Not another word passed between them as Snape rode her slender body into the mattress. She had not known what time it was when she felt the sudden rush of her own release grip her. Snape had not been phased by it and continued on as if nothing happened. Hermione felt it again and still the dour wizard kept going. His face contorted in a grimace from constant concentration and his eyes blazing like a thirsty man that stumbled upon on oasis in the vast desert.

The bushy haired witch had lost track of how many times she felt the rush of her release before Snape suddenly stiffened. She closed her eyes feeling him thrust into her harder than usual. He let out a deep guttural groan as the rush of his release filled her. Hermione found herself experiencing yet another release being pulled from her in the process.

The Potions Master collapsed on the witch after the last of his strength had been zapped from him. Hermione didn't seem to mind the close contact. She could still feel him pulsing inside of her as the conclusion of their activity approached faster than she wanted it to. After a few minutes Snape pulled himself off the witch and layed down beside her on the bed.

He was further impressed to find that he was out of breath and completely sated. Sweat continued to pour off him and his raven hair covered his eyes. Hermione found herself unable to say or do anything except fall into a deep and blissful sleep. Snape lingered for a moment taking in the sight of the beautiful naked witch beside him and followed suite afterwards.

It seemed like time had no meaning beyond the walls of Snape's darkened bedroom inside Dumbledore Manor but much was happening in the wizarding world that seemed to go on without them. Most of it was due to a disgruntled Harry Potter who had still been quite bitter about Snape's pardon. To make matters worse the foolish young wizard believed Snape had kidnapped Hermione Granger in the process. Fulled with hate and resentment for the way Snape slipped through his fingers, Potter had gotten it into his head that he was finally going to finish the job he started at Hogwarts. _Wizengamot be damned._


	24. Chapter 23:Deed of Darkness

**Chapter 23:** _ **Deed of Darkness**_

 _ **{A/N: My Version of Snape killing Dumbledore...not really okay with this chap but it was the best I could do with a cold.}**_

 _ **{"They fall in line...One at a time...Ready to play...(I can't see them anyway)...No time to lose...We've got to move...Steady your helm...(I am losing sight again)...Only the strongest will survive...Lead me to heaven, when we die...I Am The Shadow On The Wall...I'll Be The One To Save Us All"} Blow Me Away, Breaking Benjamin**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **S**_ everus shifted rather uncomfortably in his slumber. He recalled that day at the astronomy tower with vivid accuracy. The sky was heavy with swollen clouds of gray and an eerie chill hung in the air accompanied by an icy breeze. He knew what it all meant when Albus had sent for him. His nerves were like steel but his heart thundered in his chest as he made his way across the grounds. His black cape swaying in the breeze as he moved. His pace was swift as the ice from the breeze seemed to seep into his very veins. This was it. This was the moment he had dreaded for months. The moment the old fools plan was to be put into action. What was worse, taking the unbreakable vow guaranteed that he would have to go along with this ridiculous notion.

 _{With surprising nerves of steel Severus Snape made his way toward the astronomy tower. He had timed it to perfection when Dumbledore would arrive from his little trip with Potter and when Draco would open the vanishing cabinet in the room of requirement. Both boys played their parts to predictable perfection. No doubt The old man would be getting a kick out of that._

 _Billowing in black Snape climbed the tower as stealthy as a cat on the hunt. He caught a glimpse of Potter. There was no mistaking the boy's frantic expression looking very much like the one James had the night Lupin nearly killed them both courtesy of Sirius Black. His emerald eyes had been wide with terror. The spitting image of his mother's the night he found her faced down on the floor of her young son's bedroom._

 _It was clear that the boy had been utterly terrified. Understandable. But he had no idea just how bad things were about to become. Snape drew his wand and stepped forward so quiet in his movements that the boy had not even noticed. Upon feeling the lingering presence of a dark figure Harry Potter turned his head briefly taking his eyes off Dumbledore._

 _Severus put a finger to his lips and lowered his wand from the boy. Harry did the same knowing then just how much Dumbledore had trusted Snape. The Potions Professor could see the boy allowed himself to trust Dumbledore's judgement. A foolish decision. But he knew not what was to come._

 _Draco had been shaking his heart pounding in his chest as Bellatrix arrived with Greyback and others. The boy pointed his trembling hand at the Headmaster while the other's looked on._

 _"Go on Draco." said Bellatrix. "NOW!"_

 _With ice water in his veins Severus stepped from the shadows as if on cue._

 _"No." he said with little to no emotion._

 _He stood face to face with the man that had been a fixture in his life since he was a child. His sky blue robes twisting in the breeze. Long flowing hair of white and eyes as blue as the ocean on a clear day in the summer. A beard equally the color of snow hung from his chin nearly as long as his robes by then. Weak and defenseless, old and sick. A youthful spark despite his age, a zest for life and all it holds. Dumbledore stood with an air of dignity knowing all too well that things were going according to plan._

 _Severus stood his opposite in much of the wizarding worlds popular opinion. Clad in ebony with shoulder length raven hair, his frock coat draped with many buttons. The weight of his sorrow etched across his expressionless face giving age to a man far too young for the years that had taken their toll._

 _But both had been the same more so than even Severus first believed. He was set upon his path because of a beautiful girl with Emerald green eyes. A friend in childhood who lost her life because of a trivial bit of information he provided to her would be murderer. Albus had been the cause of his baby sister's death. A death that haunted him every bit as much as Lily's death haunted Snape._

 _He longed for release that night in Azkaban._

 _The old man denied it._

 _He would surely return the favor._

 _Now Dumbledore stood watching him with pride sparkling behind his blue eyes._

 _"Severus." he said softy sensing his hesitation. "Please."_

 _With his heart rate under control and the blood cool in his veins Snape raised his wand. It was the moment of truth, kill Dumbledore and Save two boys from a fate worse than death. Kill Dumbledore and save the entire wizarding world. Kill Dumbledore and become ever bit the haunted man he once was with everyone he had come to care for out for his blood. Kill him and look into the eyes of Lily Potter once more filled with absolute hatred._

 _Accepting his grim fate Snape said the words that would change this war forever._

 _"Avada kedavra." he said letting the words of the most potent unforgivable fall from his barely opened lips._

 _The words fell like icicles and made their way over toward the old wizard content with the knowledge of his impending demise unbeknownst to those around him. The Headmaster fell from the tower in a sickeningly slow fall that was largely ignored by the Greyback and the other death eaters. Draco was stricken with absolute terror at the act his godfather had just committed. An act he was suppose to have initiated._

 _Severus grabbed his godson and shuffled him down the steps of the tower. The dead was done. He had just killed Albus bloody Dumbledore. The vow has been fulfilled.}_

Snape shifted in bed gripping the sheets below unable to get his mind off the tragic event. He had known Dumbledore lived but he couldn't shake the terror that he buried that day. What stuck with him most was those emerald eyes. The eyes of Lily Potter accusing and filled with hatred. The way the boy looked at him was just like his mother. He felt the familiar ache that he had thought he buried. To have her hate him. To have him hate him to such a degree. This small boy whom he shared a mutual kinship in tragedy. The boy who had once been a baby nearly grown into a man under his watchful gaze thrust into the world and already at war before he even uttered his first word.

 _{Severus Snape stood upon a hill a ways away from the castle with the home of Rubeus Hagrid in the distance. He had sent Draco and the others away and simply waited as the green eyed boy came charging at him, his heart on his sleeve in the wake of Dumbledore's death. Emotions ran high as the heavy breeze set in the smell of death and the chill of uncertainty surrounded them. He could do no more to help the boy who was nearly a man. Obsidian eyes taking in the sight of the once helpless baby now a young man ready for battle._

 _"FIGHT BACK!" shouted an emotional Harry._

 _Snape reflected the various spells the boy sent at him with ease._

 _"FIGHT BACK ...YOU COWARD!" shouted Harry. "FIGHT BACK!"_

 _Snape said nothing as he looked at the boy he had sworn to protect. All he could see was Lily. Lily Evans with her emerald green eyes filled with pain and hatred. He had caused her to feel this way. That day he called her a Mudblood. The day she would no longer speak to him. The day he lost her forever. Snape couldn't believe it was happening again. Only this time with her son. Harry Potter the son of Lily had written him off just as she had. Perhaps it was just as well. Where he was going the boy could not follow, not that he would have wanted to bring the boy with him to earth's equivalent of hell._

 _Highly emotional the boy sent spell after spell which Snape blocked effortlessly._

 _"Sectumsempra!" shouted Harry still emotional._

 _Snape blocked it this time sending the boy to the ground hard._

 _The Potions Master made his way over to the downed Harry Potter. Barely controlled fury behind his obsidian eyes._

 _"You dare use my own spells against me Potter?" asked Snape furious. "Yes, I am The Half-Blood Prince."}_

Snape continued to grip the bed sheets. He had not known it then but his nose had started to bleed in the darkness and his trembling had done little to help matters. Hermione Granger awoke hearing the sound of near quiet whimpering in the dark. She had been horrified to see that his nose was bleeding and that he had the bed sheets in a death grip. What was worse was the shaking. He could not seem to get out of his dream.

"Severus." said Hermione snapping into action. "Severus wake up...you're having a nightmare."

Sweat poured off the dour man in waves and his raven hair was sticking to his sallow pale cheeks and his pillow. The dour wizard had been so locked in his dream that he had bitten down hard on his lower lip causing it to bleed as well.

"Severus." said Hermione in a bid to soothe him. "Severus what ever your thinking about let it go...it's over you're safe."

She let her hands run along the exposed pale flesh of his scarred chest and sighed when she felt the familiar soft moan escape his lips. She managed to end the shaking and did her best to clean the blood from is nose and lip.

 _{Severus landed with a crack of Thunder back at Spinner's End. He had been startled to find that Narcissa had been waiting in the dark for him. Bellatrix had been to The Dark Lord with the news of Draco's mission being completed. The beautiful witch had been overjoyed to hear that Severus stepped in to spare her son as he said that he would. Though she couldn't imagine what it was like for him to have his soul ripped asunder._

 _He stumbled into his living room the smell of firewhiskey heavy on him to the point where it seemed to seep from his very pores. His obsidian eyes were cold. Much less cold than that of a dead man but equal in lifeless design. His pale flesh had been clammy and he seemed to be prone to vomiting._

 _Narcissa's heart went out to him. He had been so young but endured the pain and responsibility like a man far beyond his years. She found him on the floor not moving but still taking shallow breaths._

 _"Severus." she said softly maneuvering so that his torso was half way in her lap and his head rested against her chest. "You did nothing wrong...it was what Dumbledore wanted."_

 _The tears in his eyes said differently._

 _"Leave." he managed. "Your son is safe and your husband is free...I don't need your help...you are under no obligation to me."_

 _"Shhhh." said Narcissa softly. "Rest now Severus...all you need to do is rest."_

 _Snape found that he couldn't keep his eyes open. The sound of her heartbeat in his ears was soothing. She had a mother's presence. One that he had missed out on with the murder of his own mother._

 _"Just rest Severus." she said softly stroking his exposed chest. "I am proud of you...and my family will always be grateful to you for what you've done...Draco could not have asked for a better godfather."_

 _"You owe me nothing..." he said before drifting off._

 _Narcissa spent the better part of the night holding a sleeping Severus Snape. He had been too weak to protest nor hex her for her comfort. Killing Dumbledore had taken a great deal out of him. More so than any one could ever have imagined. Once he had fallen asleep she levitated him to bed, tidying his modest muggle home and took her leave to attend her ailing husband and son. She vowed that Severus Snape would always be a member of her family and treated as such. There were no words to describe her gratitude by what he had done.}_

"snart ans." hissed Snape in his sleep. "snart ans."

Hermione managed to do damage control and continued to soothe Snape with her touch while he slept. The bushy haired witch cast a cleansing charm and layed her body flush with his resting her head against his chest. The sound of his heart beat filled her ears like a soothing lullaby. She had not known what caused his night terror but she was happy that she could at least help him through it.

The Potions Master wrapped his arm around her holding her tight.

"Her-mi-on-e." he said sleepily.

"I'm here, Severus." she said softly stroking his light bearded cheek. "I won't leave you."

Snape settled back into an easy sleep. After watching him a while until she saw no signs of another night terror she too followed suite. The witch planned to have a long discussion with the dour man come morning about what was causing his night terrors and they needed to figure out where things stood between.


	25. Chapter 24:The Light of Day

**Chapter 24:** _ **The Light of Day**_

 _ **{A/N: Villains...did you really expect to not see one show up? Lol."}**_

 _ **Warning Mild Content ahead (thought not terribly graphic)**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Basement, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **W**_ hen Severus Snape opened his eyes he found that he had not been alone. The scent of jasmine it him and he had to move to avoid having a mouth full of bushy brown hair. Hermione had been sound asleep not making a sound as she clung to him. The warmth of her body had been a welcome change from his usual cold mornings. The sleeping witch shifted brushing her naked form against his in the process. Snape looked up at the ceiling. It had been a long time since he awoke to the sight of a woman, much less a young witch with intellect to match her beauty. Looking at her seemed to take away those long and painful nights in Azkaban. He recalled just how many times envisioning those amber eyes had saved him from feeling the full brunt of his beatings. He found himself unable to resist the silent compulsion to feel her soft skin against the rough exterior of his fingertips. Slowly, he began to stroke the sleeping witch's back as she continued to sleep. The action did not seem to bother her as she simply nuzzled her cheek against his chest in a bid for more contact.

"You are so very beautiful, Hermione." said Snape in a whisper. "More so than you would ever realize."

The young witch shifted in her sleep. Snape sighed and continued to look up at the ceiling. He had no idea why she was so adamant about helping him that day at the trial. When he first heard what she was being called by the very people she helped to defend he had no words to describe the shock. Hermione Granger was the princess of Gryffindor back at Hogwarts, if not for her, The great Harry Potter would have been dead long before he got out of first year.

Unable to fall back to sleep, Snape gently layed Hermione down on the bed and slipped out from under her. The dour wizard made his way to the loo not at all surprised that he had been sporting a very obvious morning erection. Once his trip had concluded he returned to his bedroom where he found a naked Hermione Granger sleeping on her side. The sheet that had been draped over her skin had come sliding down in the wake of her constant movements and she ended up having it draped down to the flesh part of her unconcealed thigh.

The dour wizard took in the sensual outline of the slender young witch's figure. His already obvious erection seemed to become more blatantly obvious and throbbed rather painfully. The lean pale form of Snape slipped back into bed with her and he curved his body around hers without waking her. He worked his hand underneath her tucked arms and let his fingers roam across her exposed breasts.

Hermione stretched some moaning softly at the contact. Snape pressed his body harder against hers unable to ignore the heat that was beginning to radiate off the young witch as their bare skin made contact. A soft groan escaped his pale lips and he pressed them against her neck taking in the heavy scent of jasmine when he did. Normally, Snape would not have risked a secondary encounter with any witch so soon after the first, it breeds feelings of affection and complicates the situation way to quickly. But to be fair he had been locked away for a little over five years and Hermione was the first witch he had taken to bed since that time. His affection starved body craved her in ways that surprised even himself.

"Hermione." he whispered softly in her ear.

The young witch moaned scooting her slender form into him as he continued to press against her.

"Wake up little fly." he whispered. "You must be awake to be devoured."

Hermione's amber eyes slowly opened as she felt Snape's hand travel down her stomach with the intent of going lower. She let out an soft moan and shifted some in a bid to get her heated body closer to him.

"Severus." she said dreamily.

He kissed her neck, softly biting at the flesh.

"Are you ready for more?" he whispered in a seductive tone.

"Yes." replied Hermione lost in his antics. "I'm ready, Severus."

Snape rolled Hermione onto her back and towered above her in seconds. She felt the fever in his kiss as he entered her in one swift motion. The pale wizard's body flexed like before as he began to thrust into her warm frame.

 _The Wizengamot courtroom, Ministry of Magic, Wizard World..._

Harry James Potter stood before the convinced members of The Wizengamot . His green eyes burned with rage as a result of their short sighted actions in releasing Severus Snape from Azkaban. His chest heaved in ragged breaths as he attempted to reign in his temper. Ron Weasley had been at his side mostly quiet and there for moral support. He had not wished to get directly involved with anything concerning Snape again after it had caused his break-up with Hermione Granger when he sided with Harry over her about what he believed to be Snape's part in the war. The red headed wizard kept a close eye on his friend. He had truthfully felt more sadness than anything else at the way things turned out for the three of them.

Before the war they had been the infamous Golden Trio of Hogwarts, bane of Voldemort since the very first day of school. Harry was the infamous Boy-Who-Lived, Hermione was the brains, and he was the brilliant strategist and muscle of the group. Now they were a group no longer as Harry and Hermione became bitter enemies in the wake of Snape's trial. Ron had not understood why Hermione believed so strongly that Snape was innocent. But to be fair he had not understood why Harry believed so strongly that Snape was guilty. Ron's own issues with the dour Potions Professor had simply be because he was usually a git.

As the red haired young man got older, he realized that if Snape had been a git it was well earned with the way he was constantly belittled and looked down upon. When Harry told Ron about the story of the Marauders picking on the dour man in his youth be sort of understood. He of all people knew what it was like to be poor. Though he had been fortunate, his mother and father loved him and he had other siblings to look out for him. Snape had no one and was beaten on a regular basis.

With a sigh Ron looked down at his feet. For the first time in years doubt crept into his mind about Snape's true allegiance during the war. If the man was a spy it would have been all to easy to fool everyone. No one really liked the man as it was and everyone had been willing to believe the worst of him as soon as they looked at him.

If Hermione had been right about Snape this whole time then they all have made a very grave mistake concerning the Potions Master, one that not a single one of them would ever have the capacity to fix. Still, Harry Potter had been adamant that Snape was the villain in this tragic tale. Then again Snape had always played the part of a villain in Harry's mind. He had not liked the dour man ever since first year. Ron had given it some thought over the years and concluded that it had mostly been his own fault for such a notion.

He had been the one that told Harry upon their arrival to Hogwarts that there wasn't a witch or wizard that had gone bad that wasn't in Slytherin House. With Snape being Head of Slytherin house it would have been plain to a newly arrived Harry that Snape was the baddest wizard next to Voldemort.

"How could you let him get away after everything that he's done?" asked Harry. "He murdered Dumbledore for Merlin's sake!"

"Mr. Potter, The Wizengamot is well aware of what you claim Severus Snape to have done." addressed The Minister of Magic. "However in light of new evidence in Mr. Snape's case, there is no way this government can or will prosecute an innocent man...especially a man that has served five long years in Azkaban with the very criminals he helped to put away."

"Snape's kidnapped my friend and if he does anything to harm her, I shall never forget the lack of interest you have shown here today...Minister Battleby." said Harry.

"Young man you will not presume to tell me how to do my job." warned Battleby.

"Oh no Minister Battleby." said Harry glaring at the older wizard. "I shall never do that...I am merely say that if you cannot do your job efficiently to protect the people of the wizarding community than perhaps we should elect someone who will."

"Wait just a minute..." started Battleby.

"Orenvall Battleby this office here by calls for your immediate impeachment." said an older looking wizard with lengthy raven hair and radiant obsidian eyes.

"Mathias?" said Battleby stunned.

"I have evidence that you have been consorting with known death eaters." said the older wizard known as Mathias his blue eyes gleaming. "A crime that you know is punishable by imprisonment in Azkaban...but in light of your many years of service Orenvall, I simply moved that you step down from the post of Minister of Magic."

Minister Battleby glared at Harry Potter.

"One of these day young man...the world is going to see what kind of person you really are." he said. "On that I day I will be present with a front row seat."

Battleby stood up getting the attention of all around him.

"Let the records show that I Orenvall Battleby hereby step down as Minister of Magic...this day May 19th 2003." he declared. "Also let the record show that Harry Potter is the orchestrated this entire charade...I have not nor will I ever consort with Death eaters...but to appease the ever fickle public I will step down...Honest men have no place in the kind of government you are building...it seems...and my difference of opinion concerning former Headmaster of Hogwarts Severus Sebastian Snape is what lead to this point...the man has committed no wrong and I acted accordingly in the assessment of the law... is out for vendetta against a teacher from his Hogwarts years and I want no part of it."

The crowd only half listened to Battleby's speech. They wanted nothing to do with a man that consorted with death eaters and as far as they were concerned his stepping down proved he had done just that.

Battleby glared at Harry.

"Mark my words Mr. Potter, you will regret this a bully has few friends when he needs them most." said Battleby before he left the podium in a dignified walk out.

The wizard known as Mathias addressed the people who had been murmuring among themselves.

"Ladies and Gentleman, rest assured will get to the bottom of this recent turn of events." he said. "Severus Snape will not get away with what he has done in service to that despot Voldemort, He will be brought to justice and punished accordingly...Miss Granger will be returned to Mr. Potter and the good and gentle Dumbledore shall be avenged...this trickery will not go unanswered."

The people applauded the wizard who turned his attention to Harry Potter.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Mr. Potter." said Mathias extending his hand.

"Likewise." he said pleased that someone had managed to hear his side and offer assistance.

"I wanted to let you know Mr. Potter, that I intend to see to the investigation myself." he said. "Severus Snape should pay for his various crimes against the wizarding community, Battleby letting him go after what he did to our beloved Dumbledore was a travesty."

Harry nodded in agreement.

"I just hope he hasn't hurt Hermione." said the green eyed wizard.

Ron Weasley had not taken his eyes off the strange older wizard since he first insinuated himself into the hearing. He clearly was a wealthy individual, no doubt from some prestigious noble wizarding family with a really long line of descendants. The red head wizard noted the awfully familiar obsidian eye color and the raven hair.

"I plan to find him before anything of that nature takes place." replied Mathias. "You have my word Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded once more and shook Mathias' hand.

"Thank you sir." said the green eyed wizard. "I was afraid my friend would be lost to us forever."

"No Mr. Potter...thank you." replied Mathias. "Only you had the presence of mind to continuously remind people what kind of monster Severus Snape truly is...another worthy service to the wizarding community if I dare say."

"I just want to see justice done." said Harry.

"Oh and it shall be Mr. Potter." replied Mathias with a eerily pleasant grin. "And both I and the wizarding community have you to thank for it."

Harry and Mathias parted ways. Ron watched the strange wizard go and walked over to his best friend.

"I'm not too sure about that one Mate." said the red haired wizard. "Something about him kind of rubs me the wrong way if you take my meaning."

"Mathias is not that bad Ron." said Harry. "He's going to help us find Hermione and bring that murderer Snape to justice."

Ron had not been too sure about any of this but said nothing as he quietly nodded in agreement with his friend and looked down at his feet. There was something strange about that wizard Mathias he just knew it but there was no use in telling Harry about it. The green eyed wizard had it in for Snape for so long he couldn't see reason when it came to him.

Ron sighed inwardly and hoped beyond all hope that he had been wrong. He wished then that he could go to Hermione and tell her his suspicions without Harry acting all out of sorts. He hoped that she had indeed been okay even if she had been with Snape.

 _Snape's bedroom, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Hermione Granger had been more than fine when she looked up at the ceiling trying to catch her ragged breath. She had been soaked from sweat and half asleep as a result of a certain Potions Master's antics. The dour wizard himself had dozed off seconds before she had completely spent. The bushy haired witch scooted closer to him but not enough to make him uncomfortable given the state of their hot bodies. She looked over Snape's pale sleeping form. His raven hair stuck to his sweat blasted skin as he shifted in his sleep.

"snart ans." he said still asleep. "bana ans...snart ans."

Hermione smiled and drifted off to sleep letting her soft fingers rest against his. It had been far too hot to curl up under the dour wizard but the touch of their hands seemed to be enough.

Before long they had both been asleep oblivious to the goings-ons in the wizarding world around them. A storm was brewing and wither they knew it or not, sooner or later it was going to come right for them.


	26. Chapter 25:The Virtue Of Charity

**Chapter 25:** _ **The Virtue Of Charity**_

 _ **{"No one knows what it's like...To be hated...To be fated...To telling only lies...But my dreams...They aren't as empty...As my conscience seems to be...I have hours, only lonely...My love is vengeance...That's never free..."}- Behind Blue Eyes, The Who/Limp Bizkit**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Basement, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **I**_ t had been amusing to Severus just how much clearly he could see things in the dark. Without the various and unpleasant distractions that accompany each day. The dour wizard had been nursing a bottle of half finished wine before the sun even came up. He was use to being an early riser, it came with the territory of living in a house with a drunken abuser. He did not know wither or not Hermione knew he was gone but he slipped out of bed before he could have any time to gauge her reaction. It had been surprisingly pleasurable spending the night with the beautiful young witch. She proved to be a very worthy distraction from the many relentless images of his past that bombarded him on a constant basis. She had also been a surprisingly understanding and knowledgeable person. The combination of easy on the eyes and knowledgeable was hard to come by even without his many flaws. It had been some of the very same qualities that had drawn him to the Muggle Studies Professor Charity Burbage. There was not a day that went by that he had not felt terrible about her tragic death. She had been one of the few people that believed there was good in him.

 _{He recalled one sunny Saturday afternoon. She had come all the way down to the dungeons to ask him about his childhood. Snape initially blew her off tossing out acidic insults in a bid to scare her away, but she persisted. He had thought the woman daft. She didn't seem to get much of his sarcasm either. At meal times she would sit next to him un-phased by his demeanor. He attempted to ignore her but over time and despite his many attempts eventually, the rather strange witch grew on him._

 _They became very good friends as a result. He had not known why the woman wanted to calm him as friend especially given what he had done in his young life. Yet she didn't seem to mind his dark reputation. No words could ever describe how he felt when once again another friend of his ended up in the dark lord's clutches._

 _Charity had been a fun loving and tolerant woman. She strove to see the good in everyone even those that most people would turn a blind eye to. The world was a place of endless possibilities in her eyes. Snape had told her himself that she was being naive and reckless with her affections. She always countered by saying the lived a happier fuller life whenever she interacted with others. When he first arrived at Hogwarts after his imprisonment in Azkaban, she had been one of the first to speak to him outside of McGonagall and Dumbledore. She welcomed him to the teaching family with open arms._

 _At first the dour young wizard had not known what to make of her then either._

 _After so many years of substantial friendship, there were no words to describe how Severus Snape felt when he reached the top of the stairs in Malfoy Manor and saw her small beaten frame floating in the air amid a nest of vicious death eaters. He long blonde hair dangled in the distance._

 _"Severus." hissed Voldemort. "I was beginning to worry you have lost your way...come we've saved you a seat."_

 _Snape made his way over to the table. Both Bellatrix and Narcissa glanced in his direction. Lucius did his best not to look at anyone. He had been a shell of the man he use to be and as such lacked the usual need to draw attention. Voldemort had it in for him. That much had been clear to everyone. It was often whispered among the death eaters about how weak Lucius' spine had been. Snape made his way to his seat._

 _Amid the grandstanding had fear shaken speeches, only Snape maintained an air of dignity in the dark lord's presence. They had gotten the business of Harry Potter's whereabouts and suddenly without warning Voldemort floated Charity Burbage toward the center of the table. Snape did not take his eyes off the beaten witch, her eyes nearly swollen shut, and her thin from covered in the infamous black and blue hue of bruises._

 _The dour wizard's heart would have gone out to her. If he could still be classified as having one._

 _She looked up at him from her odd angle. He could feel her bright and hopeful gaze trained on him and still he did not look away. He showed no emotion nor any sign of weakness. He sat amid the various seated death eaters. A true lone wolf if ever there was one. Blood dripped all over the once highly polished and decadent wood table in slick crimson drops._

 _"Severus." she said amid strain as her neck showed obvious signs of attempted strangulation._

 _He continued to look at her, as cold a winter storm in the arctic._

 _"We're friends." she said still in that strained tone._

 _Voldemort grew incensed that she would even insinuate a bond of sorts with his most prominent death eater._

 _"Avada kedavra." he said in a hiss and bathe the witch in the green light from his wand._

 _In an instant Snape watched as she fell onto the table a single tear ran down her bruised cold pale cheek. The other death eaters fell silent. Voldemort smiled and waved his hand in an inviting gesture._

 _"Nigini, dinner." he hissed._

 _Snape watched as the dreaded creature slithered it's way onto the table and began to consume the deceased form of Charity Burbage. When all the others turned their head in the wake of the revolting scene with the exception of Bellatrix, Narcissa and Voldemort who smiled at his pet pleased with the gruesome sight before him._

 _Narcissa had not taken her eyes off Snape, she knew that if he had indeed been friends with this witch then it was only a matter of time before her murder started to eat away at him. He never took his eyes off her, not even when Nigini consumed her whole. After his snake had been fed Voldemort turned his attention to Snape._

 _"Kura ans, Bana ans, snart ans a~e praughs." {"Black one, cold one, smart one, be proud."} hissed Voldemort pleasantly in parseltongue. "Ba~ ein~e ou biin?" {How have you been?"}_

 _"Very well." replied Snape in English stunning those seated at the table. "fraeslis." {Friend}_

 _Narcissa noted that Snape spoke in parseltongue. She had not been aware he had this ablity either. Lucius did his best not to make direct eye contact with his old friend lest it draw the dark lord's ire._

 _"ou va~e Derne." hissed Voldemort. {"You walk slowly."}_

 _"ai aposlogahs, Bana fraeslis." hissed Snape in return. {"I apologize, Cold Friend."}_

 _When the meeting concluded whispers had been around that many a death eater had a lot to fear from Snape. Some had even been convinced that he was a product of Salazar Slytherin as well. Narcissa tended to a sickly Draco, who had fainted when Nigini consumed the corpse of former Muiggle Studies Professor Charity Burbage._

Snape took his leave, heading back to Hogwarts. He got back to his Headmaster duties and said nothing about what occurred the rest of that meeting. The images of Charity Burbage still fresh in his mind as he sat at his desk looking over parchment for the upcoming semester plans.

 _Snape's bedroom, Dumbledore Manor..._

Hermione had shifted in bed when she noticed that Snape had not been next to her. She was about to get up and inquire as to why when Snape came stumbling through the door and made his way to the bed. He took off his trousers and scooted next to her beneath the sheet. She had not even gotten a word out before his pale lean frame seemingly molded to her in the bed and his arms gripped her pulling her flush against his chest. Hermione sighed letting herself relax in his arms.

"You want to talk about it?" she asked softly.

"No." he replied nuzzling his pale cheek into her jasmine scented hair.

He continued to hold her as they lay there in silence. Hermione had not been sure why he seemed to be upset but she knew it could not have been good. Judging by the heavy scent of wine radiating off him she knew that it wasn't.

"snart ans." hissed a nearly asleep Snape.

The young bushy haired witch said nothing as his soft snoring filled her ears. Whatever the problem was she would get to the bottom of it eventually. It had been something of a major step with him seeking her out for comfort. They had not been intimate for long but it was something she deemed noteworthy. After several minutes of lying quietly Hermione found herself drifting off to sleep as well.


	27. Chapter 26:Professor of Truths

**Chapter 26:** _ **Professor of Truths**_

 _ **{A/N: For those of you who were wondering just what the old coot has been up too...with Mathias leading the charge The Ministry of Magic have been suppressing information pertaining to Dumbledore's return...(come on these are the same people who never believed Voldemort was back...minus Fudge.)}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Diagon Alley, Wizarding World..._

 _ **H**_ arry Potter had been well on his way toward the nearest shop when he was suddenly approached by a familiar looking wizard in long light blue robes. His eyes widened when he took in the sight of what appeared to be Professor Albus Dumbledore. The green eyed wizard narrowed his eyes at the impostor feeling only anger surge through him as he sized up the old man before him. The Headmaster, had not seemed to be worried about Harry's apparent hostile manner in the slightest. He simply smiled at the younger wizard pleasantly with twinkling blue eyes.

"Good evening Harry." said Dumbledore in a pleasant tone.

"You have some nerve impersonating the Headmaster." replied Harry bitterly. "You have even bigger nerve helping that murderer Snape escape Azkaban and kidnap my friend."

"I assure you Harry, Severus has done many things in the name of peace but murdering me and kidnapping Miss Granger are none of them." replied Dumbledore simply.

Harry gripped his wand tightly.

"There's no need for that Harry." said Dumbledore. "I mean you no harm."

The green eyed wizard still glared at the older one. It seemed that there was only one way to prove to the younger wizard the authenticity of his identity.

The Headmaster smiled and lifted his right arm with his palm facing down as if to create a perch of some sort.

"Fawkes." he called.

In a matter of seconds, The Headmaster's Phoenix came flying toward them. Harry recognized the bird of flame almost immediately. It had been Dumbledore's familiar and only responded to his command unless someone had been truly loyal to him and in need of assistance. Harry couldn't believe his eyes as he looked upon the older wizard.

"If you really are Dumbledore, than how is it that you survived?" asked Harry. "I saw Snape cast the killing curse myself."

"I believe that my survival was due to Severus' quick reflexes and skill with wandless magic." replied Dumbledore.

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "S-Snape saved you?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes." he replied. "And you have made a grave error Harry when you sent him to Azkaban."

The green eyed wizard thought back to the trial and what Snape had said to him.

 _{"Mark my words son of the pompous prat James, you WILL regret this."}_ the dour wizard had said. _{"Albus Dumbledore will return and the wrong that you all have committed here will follow you for the rest of your lives."}_

Harry's eyes widened as he thought back to all the times Hermione tried to tell him that there was more going on than he realized. He had pushed his friend away and stood by while the wizarding world turned against her calling her Snape's Whore and turning their noses up at her for having the guts to stand up for Snape when no one else would.

"Hermione." he said sadly. "S-She's been right all along."

Dumbledore nodded.

"I'm afraid so." he replied. "Miss Granger is a remarkably perceptive young witch."

"Professor...where is she...is she okay?" asked Harry feeling the all too familiar sense of Gryffindor guilt set in.

"Miss Granger is well." replied Dumbledore. "Last I checked it was poor Severus who needed medical attention...one of the disgruntled protesters at his release and apparent medal award ceremony cast a hex meant for Miss Granger...despite his condition Severus was able to block it by weathering the blow himself."

Harry couldn't believe his ears.

"I-Is he alright?" he asked unsure if he even had the right to ask about the dour man.

"I believe he is in good hands." replied Dumbledore.

Harry nodded.

"W-When can I see Hermione?" he asked.

"Well this matter of Severus being blamed for my apparent murder needs to be cleared up first, wouldn't you agree Harry?" asked Dumbledore.

"Y-Yes sir." replied Harry the guilt was settling in as he looked down at his feet. "I-I'm sorry that I didn't believe..."

"It is not me that you should be apologizing to." said Dumbledore sadly. "But you and I both know Severus is a hard man to make amends with."

Harry nodded.

"I suppose I can't blame him." he said.

"No." said Dumbledore sadly. "I suppose you can't...we can still right this wrong however, I could use your help to clear his name."

Harry simply nodded.

"Snape was really your man." he said.

"Yes." replied Dumbledore. "Everything he has done it was for the good of The Order and at my word...if you'd like I could show you a pensive."

Harry sighed.

"I-I'll view the pensive." he said.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Of course." he said.

He held his hand out to Harry and the younger wizard joined him as they apparated to Hogwarts.

 _Headmaster's office, Hogwarts..._

Harry had been more than a little overwhelmed when he reached the grounds of Hogwarts again. The images of that night Dumbledore was nearly killed flashed through his mind as well as the night he attacked Snape in revenge for what he had done to the people he cared about. Dumbledore pulled the pensive out and stood over it.

"Come along Harry." he said.

Harry made his way over toward Dumbledore and the pensive.

The green eyed wizard took a breath as he watched the older wizard pull a memory from his head and dump it into the pensive.

"Take a look." said Dumbledore.

Harry stepped forward and placed his head in the pensive. The memories rushed passed him and stopped when they came to Godric's Hollow. Harry immediately recognized it as his former home. He saw Snape in the darkness of his parents bedroom and the image of his mother

 _{"You can come out Severus." he said._

 _"Have you come to kill me?" asked Snape in an emotionless tone._

 _"No." replied Dumbledore._

 _"Then there is nothing that you can do for me." replied Snape still in the emotionless tone._

 _"Severus." said Dumbledore softly. "Let me help you."_

 _"Why?" asked Snape. "No one's ever wanted to help me before."_

 _"I have use for a man like you." said Dumbledore._

 _"I do not wish to be of use." replied Snape. "And I am far beyond your notions of redemption old man."_

 _"Severus there is still good in you." said Dumbledore._

 _"The good in me left when Lily took her last breath." replied Snape. "Soon I will be hunted down and wrangled up with the rest of my brothers...because of my rank within the dark lord's army they will want my death...a fitting end to a life well spent wouldn't you say Headmaster?"_

 _"Severus don't be a fool." said Dumbledore still trying to salvage him._

 _"Funny." said Snape still emotionless. "How can I not be what I was from the moment of my birth?"}_

Harry pulled his head out of the pensive and looked at Dumbledore inquisitively.

"Lily?" he said stunned. "What does Snape have to do with my mother?"

Dumbledore smiled and pulled another memory from his mind and added it to the pensive.

 _{"Severus." said the older wizard._

 _"Am I in hell?" asked Snape dizzy from the loss of blood._

 _"No." replied Dumbledore._

 _"Then why?" started Snape. "What did you do?"_

 _"You're coming with me Severus." said Dumbledore. "You'll have all that a man such as your self would require, room board, safety."_

 _"Safety?" asked Snape in an emotionless tone. "This coming from the man that insisted that I take a wizard's oath after Sirius Black tried to kill me."_

 _"Things were complicated then, Severus." said Dumbledore._

 _"What could be more complicated than a student needing to feel safe in the only home he's ever known?" asked Snape showing a bit of anger._

 _Dumbledore's blue eyes softened._

 _"Give me one good reason why I should ever trust you?" asked Snape._

 _"Lily Potter." replied The Headmaster.}_

Harry pulled his head out of the pensive again.

"What does my mother have to do with any of this?" asked the green eyed wizard. "Perhaps, you should ask him one day."

Harry arched an eyebrow at The Headmaster.

"Headmaster please, you and I both know Snape would rather die than tell me anything about his past, even before..." he trailed off.

Dumbledore nodded.

"They were old friends you see." said the old wizard. "Your mother and he."

Harry's eyes widened at this revelation.

"Snape and my mother were friends?" he said in disbelief.

"Yes." replied Dumbledore. "You see Harry everything Severus did from that dreadful night on was in a bid to keep you safe even if it would cost him, his own life."

"B-But why didn't he..." started Harry.

"What was he going to say Harry, that he elected to throw himself at the mercy of Voldemort and The Ministry of Magic in a bid to keep you safe?" asked Dumbledore. "Would you have believed it?...how many times have you gotten it into your head that Severus was the bad guy to be feared and hated?"

Harry looked down at his feet.

"I-I guess I wouldn't have listen." he replied.

Dumbledore smiled at the young wizard.

"We all have made our share of mistakes, Harry." he said. "Especially, where Severus is concerned."

Harry looked at the pensive.

"There is more if you wish to see." said Dumbledore.

"N-Not just now." replied Harry saddened. "I-I think I know enough to feel like dirt."

"It was not my intention to make you feel like dirt Harry." said Dumbledore. "As I've said we've all made mistakes, especially where Severus is concerned."

"That's an understatement in my case." replied the green eyed wizard. "I doubt Professor Snape or Hermione would ever forgive me."

"I'm sure they will." replied Dumbledore. "Until then I suppose I can count on you to help me sort out this mess."

Harry nodded more determined than ever to right the wrong he committed against Snape in the past.

"Everyone needs to know that your back and that Snape really is a hero." he said.

"That they do, Harry." replied Dumbledore. "That they do."


	28. Chapter 27:The Games Witches and Wizard

**Chapter 27:** _ **The Games Witches and Wizards Play**_

 _ **{A/N: Meanwhile back at the house of Dumbledore...a little light in the sea of darkness.}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's bedroom, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **T**_ he soft amber eyes of Hermione Granger opened to find that it had been the middle of the afternoon and she was still in bed with a sleeping Severus Snape. The young witch could not actually believe that she went through with her impulse and came to his room. She smiled as she thought back to his smug reference to the little fable. Her smiled widened when she realized that his arms were wrapped around her and that he was pressed firmly against her. They had both been naked beneath the soft sheets and his light snoring was the only way she could tell that he had actually been asleep.

Hermione shifted some and Severus let out a low groan.

The sleeping wizard took in the scent of jasmine in her hair.

As he shifted closer he pressed his lean body against hers.

"Severus." said Hermione unsure if waking him was a good idea after the morning he had.

"Hmmmm." came his sleepy reply.

"Severus...are you awake?" she asked.

When he didn't reply Hermione shifted until his arms came from around her and he rolled over onto his back. The bushy haired witch slowly peered at the dour wizard. She sighed and did a quick check over him to ensure that he had not caused any harm to himself. Snape shifted when he felt her soft warm hands on his slightly chilled form.

"Hmmm...Insufferable know-it-all." grumbled Snape sleepily. "Attempting to have your wicked little way with me again, Miss Granger?"

Hermione couldn't help the blush that crept across her youthful face.

Snape offered up a wicked smirk at the slightly mortified young witch. He felt his cock twitch as he took in the sight of her supple naked form before him.

"I-I wasn't..." stammered Hermione feeling the heat of embarrassment wash over her. "I-I was just..."

"Providing incentive to rouse me from my sleep, while simultaneously and albeit shamelessly fondling my person?" he finished.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Snape.

It had an effect on him but not to the degree in which she wanted. Before the young witch could protest or otherwise Snape leaned up arching his lean frame into her and crushed his pale lips into her soft pink ones. Hermione had been caught off guard but found herself returning his kiss and melting against him.

In a matter of minutes, Snape had her lying on the bed with her back pressed against the mattress. She let out a soft moan when she felt his pale lips against that familiar spot on her neck. The young witch's response to him had been amazing. He never would have pegged her for the passionate sort. Then again no one would have pegged him to be the sort of man that could deliver such passion.

"Hermione." he said in a breathless whisper.

"Severus." she replied gripping him as she wrapped her slender legs around his lean waist.

Snape smirked.

"Who's the spider and who's the fly here?" he asked pointedly.

Hermione let out a soft moan and gripped him tighter.

"If you stop I'll kill you." she warned with fire flashing in her amber eyes.

"Oh I have no intention on doing anything of the sort." he replied.

He leaned down and kissed her on the neck making her dig her fingernails into the exposed pale flesh of his back. The afternoon had turned out to be just as eventful as the other day.

 _The Sitting Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Both Severus and Hermione had managed to drag themselves out of bed, get dressed and venture downstairs into the sitting room. Snape sat in his usual armchair while Hermione took to her usual spot on the sofa. They had decided to amuse themselves for the time being with an activity that didn't involve them both being without clothes. Currently Hermione had been in the lead but it was slim at best. For all his growling and snide remarks, Snape was impressed that she could come up with a game that would amuse even him.

"Rabrily." said Snape trying hard not to show his amusement.

"That's easy." said Hermione with a grin. "Library...give me a hard one."

"I believe it's my turn." said Snape.

"Alright." said Hermione. "Whamoshut."

"Too easy." replied Snape smug. "Mouthwash."

"You wish." replied Hermione. "Okay my turn."

"zazldrib." said Snape still hiding his amusement at the excitement in her eyes.

"Zazldrib?" asked Hermione.

"That's what I said." replied Snape slyly. "Need a hint?"

"No." replied Hermione.

They had been trying to make the came challenging for the last half hour. That meant no hints, or writing it down.

"Come on Miss Granger." teased Snape. "Where's that insufferable know-it-all intellect?"

The bushy haired witch narrowed he eyes at him.

"I still have it." she replied. "Just as much as you have the capacity to be a git."

Snape chuckled at this.

"Zazldrib." he said.

Hermione thought for a moment and then something clicked.

"Blizzard." she replied matter-of-factly.

Snape allowed himself to smirk at her. She was really a force of nature when she got all worked up.

"Your turn." she said. "Preatetreum."

"You've got to be kidding?" he said with an arched eyebrow.

"Nope." replied Hermione believing she had finally stumped him.

"Too easy." said Snape. "Temperature."

"Show off." said Hermione.

Snape's pale lips curled into an arrogant smirk.

"Look who's talking little Gryffindor." he replied. "Your turn...Yedmatin."

Hermione arched an eyebrow at him this time.

"What?" she asked.

"Yedmatin." repeated Snape rolling his eyes at the ridiculous use of lettering.

Hermione thought for a moment.

"I-I don't know what that is?" she said.

"Do you concede?" asked Snape.

As much as Hermione wanted to say no, she knew she couldn't.

"Yes." she replied.

Snape smirked.

"Dynamite." he said with a grin.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You're enjoying this too much git." she replied.

"Immensely Gryffindor." replied Snape. "Was that not the point of this little diversion?"

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him in response. It was a childish thing to do, she knew but Snape had a funny way of getting under her skin.

"I win." replied Snape stating the obvious. "So that means I get to choose my reward."

Hermione scoffed.

"I bet I know what it's going to be." she replied.

"Perhaps." he said in a low tone. "It does involve you."

The bushy haired witch opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when Snape got to his feet and ventured toward the kitchen. The bushy haired witch sat there pouting in the empty room for a little over thirty minutes before she rolled her eyes and followed him still sore about losing the game due to her inability to recall a small word. The smug look on Snape's face had not made it any better to deal with. She dreaded what he had in mind when she ventured into the kitchen.

 _The Kitchen, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Hermione couldn't believe it when she walked inside and witnessed Snape standing over the counter chopping vegetables and tending to pots on the stove. She never would have guess that the dour man was any good at cooking. Then again he was a Potions Master and brewing ingredients had been virtually the same as cooking. Only one had to combine the correct amount of each in order to get it to taste right where in brewing a potion one could concoct a poison or blow up the lab.

"Y-You cook?" asked the bushy haired witch stunned by the seemingly masterful display.

Snape had been wearing a white apron and had his lank raven hair pulled back into a pony tail, while normally he brewed other wise he had no desire for his unruly hair to end up on the menu. His face appeared to be contorted in concentration.

"Don't just stand there Miss Granger." he said. "Some assistance is required."

Hermione smirked as she looked over at the extra apron and headband he had apparently left out for her. She made her way over to it and put it around her waist. Normally, she would never have considered herself to be the cooking type. Even the most basic of meals she prepared were amiss and the image of becoming another Molly Weasley had been imprinted in her mind and she tried to steer clear of it the entire time.

"Come along Miss Granger the pasta needs tending." he said amid chopping.

Hermione pulled her unruly bushy hair back into a ponytail. It took some doing but she managed to get it all in. Snape smirked at her obvious frustration at tangling with her hair. The flustered witch washed her hands and walked over to the now bubbling pot that contained the pasta. The pot was heavy and plenty hot. Hermione attempted to figure out what it was that he wanted her to do with it. Snape glanced at her from where he had been chopping vegetables and took in the air of lack of experience she gave off.

The Potions Master made his way over toward her and skillfully drained the noodles and went back to chopping.

"You could have just done it yourself." she said.

"It was good that you attempted." he replied. "But now I require your assistance with the chopping."

Hermione made her way over to the counter and began chopping up vegetables. She observed the skill and poised Snape displayed in the kitchen. It was just as if he had been brewing in his labs back at Hogwarts.

"You're really good at this." she remarked in awe.

"Years of practice." he replied.

"Watching you...it doesn't seem that brewing is all that different from cooking." she said.

"On the surface it isn't." he replied still skillfully chopping vegetables. "However, one can taste their work to see that it isn't volatile when cooking...in brewing a potion one must always rely on color and texture."

"Some potions are made for consumption." said Hermione.

"True but the wrong blend of ingredients can an will produce a fast acting poison." replied Snape.

"Is that why you made that poor Hufflepuff girl Matilda cry in second year?" asked Hermione with an arched eyebrow.

"Miss Dawnfinger was a bit of an annoyance with her comparing brewing to her mother making treats for all Hollow's eve." replied Snape with a scowl. "It's a wonder she didn't end up poisoning herself through first year."

Hermione shook her head.

"As I recall she did get rather sick once." she said.

"So you see my point." replied Snape.

The young witch nodded.

"That still doesn't explain why you are so good at cooking." she said.

"I am proficient at cooking because I spent a good deal of time watching cooking shows since I was a boy." replied Snape. "Most of the time a cooking show was as close as I had gotten to a decent home cooked meal in those days."

Hermione couldn't imagine what life must have been like for him as a child.

"By the time I was able to go to Hogwarts, my skill in cooking was something that further contributed to my advantage when it came to brewing." said Snape casually.

"That must have impressed your Potions Professor." said Hermione.

Snape smirked.

"Slughorn was impressed enough to put me in his wretched Slug Club." he said. "Mostly because he got wind of my ability to brew as well as manufacture new spells."

Hermione smiled feeling oddly proud of him for his school boy accomplishments. She wondered what kind of student he would have been, if he had not been weighed down by so much pain and responsibility.

"Slughorn was your Professor?" said Hermione stunned.

"That he was." replied Snape annoyed at the image of his former teacher. "As was McGonagall and many others."

Hermione shook her head at the image of Severus Snape being a student of her former Head of House.

"No wonder your rivalries were so intense." she said.

"It was all in good fun." replied Snape. "She would take a ton of points from Slytherin for any infraction and I would do the same to her precious Gryffindors."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

This earned her a slight chuckle from Snape.

"She is the only person other than you, that I would consider to be worthy of what your House stands for." he said.

The young witched arched an eyebrow at him.

"Have you been in the wine again?" she asked. "Because I don't believe that you of all people would compliment Gryffindor House."

"I didn't compliment Gryffindor House." said Snape. "I simply said that of all those that claim to be pro-Gryffindor only you and McGonagall seem to be capable of "walking your talk" as they say."

Hermione laughed.

"Anyway back to the business at hand." said Snape turning his attention back to preparing dinner.

"What are you making?" asked Hermione watching him move about.

"We are making roast duck with pasta and steamed vegetables for lunch." said Snape. "Dinner does not require us to be so...adventurous."

Hermione had been impressed. If she had known that this was what Snape had in mind for his reward after wining the game she would have lost to him sooner. At least now they could both benefit from a well prepared lunch.

 _Later..._

As it turned out Snape wasn't a bad instructor when it came to cooking either. Hermione had been pleasantly surprised as she bit into the last forkful of her roast duck that she had not been as bad a cook with his watchful eye and clear hands-on instruction. Snape poured himself a glass of red wine which he had been generously sharing with Hermione since the meal began.

"That was wonderful." said the last of her plate.

Snape wiped his mouth with his napkin and dropped it onto his now empty plate.

"That was immensely satisfying." he said leaning back in his chair.

"I feel as if I could curl up in bed for the rest of the day." said Hermione.

"That would be ideal." added Snape. "Would a bit of light reading suffice?"

Hermione nodded. She never could resist an opportunity to read a good book.

Snape waved his hand and spelled the dishes to clean themselves and put themselves away. The formerly bushy haired witch smirked at how the scene oddly reminded her of a muggle children's movie as the dishes danced across the dishes. Snape got up from the table and Hermione followed behind as he made his way into the sitting room.

 _The Sitting room,Dumbledore Manor,Wizarding World..._

Snape made his way over toward the book shelf while Hermione stretched out comfortably on the sofa. He made his way back to his usual chair and opened the book. With so very little entertainment in the large house Snape and Hermione had taken to being drown into each other's company for much of the day. The dour wizard started reading from the book as the young witch listened. It had been a tragic muggle tale by William Shakespeare, Snape had seemed to have been very fond of it and said as much. Although he was surprised that Dumbledore kept a copy here of all places. From what he understood The Dumbledore's had not been very fond of Muggles...well not originally.

"Is this a dagger which I see before me?" read Snape as Hermione listened. "Come, let me clutch thee..."

The young witch couldn't help but notice the subtle similarities between Macbeth and Snape.

Both had been men who fought for the good of their people wither they liked it or not. Both men put in a position of power after the deaths of men who had garnered their admiration. Only historical Macbeth proved to be a good man and a great kind who put an end to the then King Duncan's reign of terror against his people. Snape helped destroy Voldemort in a bid to free the wizarding world. Even more strange was that both men would be remembered in history for being bad men despite all their good accomplishments.

"I have thee not, and yet I see thee still...Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible...To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but...A dagger of the mind, a false creation,...Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?." read Snape. "I see thee yet, in form as palpable...As this which now I draw...Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going...And such an instrument I was to use...Mine eyes are made the fools o' th' other senses,Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still..."

Hermione listened watching him closely.

Snape heard the very words that had reminded him of the night he was to kill Albus Dumbledore. He knew first hand what it was like to be asked to kill a man that others revered. The storm that brewed inside him had not been so unlike this. He wondered just how much his own sad tale would have paralleled with the tragic King Macbeth had he not chosen to forgo Dumbledore's plan and keep the old bastard alive. At first he thought it was spite but the more he thought about it the more it became clear that it was a combination of spite and self-preservation. As if he had known about all the brutality he would have to endure and that even then Hermione would have been lost to him.

He looked over at the young witch no asleep on the sofa and a small smile crept across his sallow pale face. He closed the book and made his way over toward the sleeping witch. She shifted some when he lifted her off the sofa and into his waiting arms. She nuzzled her head against his ebony clad chest and let out a contented sigh.

Snape shook his head at how endearing she had been in sleep.

He walked with her up the stairs and toward her bedroom. As if she sensed where he was going to put her she pressed her cheek against him and gripped his robes as if for dear life.

"No." she moaned in sleep. "I want...your room."

Snape sighed and carried the sleeping witch toward his bedroom. He layed her gently down on the mattress and looked down at her sleeping face. She had been quite a beautiful young witch and her capacity for understanding seemed to have out-weighted a great deal of people he had known most of his life.

Feeling the empty side of the bed as she stretched, Hermione opened her mouth and spoke in a sleepy voice again.

"Severus...come to bed." she said.

Snape smirked at her and did just that. He layed down beside her and in a matter of seconds they were both fast asleep. The Potions Master had not believed that staying at Dumbledore Manor would be this eventful. Nor would he have ever believed that a certain bushy haired witch was starting to get to him. She didn't work on him with grand gestures or attempt to use him for one reason or another, she simply remained herself and allowed him to do the same. Wither Snape wanted to admit it or not. It was a pleasant thing to have someone willing to listen to what he had to say or thought about a certain topic rather than barking orders or threats.

For the first time since his release from Askaban, Severus Snape was starting to know what if felt like to be a free man and it was all thanks to Hermione Granger.


	29. Chapter 28:A Question of Loyalty

**Chapter 28:** _ **A Question of Loyalty**_

 _ **{A/N: Went to my cousin Mimi's funeral yesterday...Didn't feel much like typing...so here is the chapter that was finished today.}**_

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's Bedroom, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **B**_ oth Severus and Hermione had been lying awake in the dead of night. She had been contented to lay there with the dour wizard in companionable silence but the sudden sound of his rich baritone drawl shattered the quiet. She had barely surfaced from the sea of her thoughts when his voice entered her ears. The witch reached for his hand in the darkness and looped her small delicate fingers around his calloused long pale ones. The single word had come from his lips before she had time to process their apparent closeness.

"Why?" he asked softly looking up at the darkened ceiling as well.

"Why?" asked Hermione unsure that she heard him right.

"Yes." he replied.

Hermione sight suddenly knowing what it had been that he was asking.

"Because you deserve so much more." she replied.

"How do you know that?" he asked. "You've no idea about the things I've done."

Hermione sat up resting her back against the headboard.

"Severus." she said not liking where this conversation was going. "You did the best you could...with what little guidance you've had."

Snape looked at her. She really had no concept of the kind of life he lived as The Dark Lord's most trusted servant.

"I killed people in various and brutal ways...sometimes whole families...women, children." he said. "I was never a good man...that is just Dumbledore's irritating tendency to make me sound like some kind of tragic hero."

Hermione did not want to hear any more but listened anyway.

"Some nights I can still hear them screaming." continued Snape. "Their eyes seem to haunt me even now."

Hermione sighed and let him continue.

"I watched countless others die and never once did I lift a finger to help, even when they were decent people, like Charity Burbage." said Snape.

The bushy haired witch's eye widened.

"Professor Burbage?" she asked.

Snape nodded watching her. He had not known what he expected telling her that he watched the woman he considered to be a friend die. Perhaps it was because he knew it was a teacher Hermione liked. He thought of using his most despicable acts to try and drive the young witch away but she didn't seem all that put out by it.

"Severus, I'm sure that if you could have saved Professor Burbage you would have." she said.

"Why are you so intent on believing that I would have?" he asked. "What makes you such an expert on anything about me?"

"Severus...wither you chose to believe it or not, you are a good man." said Hermione. "I think it's utterly shameful that you think so little of yourself and that you were treated like less than a human being by everyone."

Snape sat up and looked at her.

"Before you go into detail about how much of a git you are...I already know that and it has no standing on how I feel about you." said The bushy haired witch.

Before Snape could utter another word Hermione put a finger to his lips and kissed him passionately.

"It's much too late for you to try and scare me away." she said. "I'm already in your bed."

Snape scoffed.

"Insufferable know-it-all." he said.

Hermione kissed him again.

"You never answered my question." said Snape.

"I did." she replied. "I told you before that you deserve so much more than all the pain and suffering you've had to endure."

Snape sighed.

"A nice Gryffindor sentiment." he grumbled.

Hermione smiled at him.

"Did you expect anything less?" she asked.

Although the truth had been a bit more complicated than that. She didn't feel it was wise to let him know how she truly felt about him. Not this soon in what was starting to become a sort of personal relationship.

Snape shook his head.

"Cheeky witch." he said stifling a grin.

He caught her in his arms and pulled her into yet another kiss.

Hermione found herself with her back pressed against the mattress as Snape towered above her kissing her in that familiar spot on her neck. She fought back the urge to tell him that she loved him. Instead resolving herself to wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him close to her.

"Why do you care?" asked Snape between kisses. "Why is my life so important to you?"

Hermione gripped him tight.

"Who's asking the incessant questions now?" she asked.

"A beautiful and intelligent witch such as yourself could have any wizard or muggle she wishes." said Snape looking down at her.

"That's the point I could have any wizard or muggle that I wish." she replied. "I have a wizard that just so happens to be born with half muggle blood."

Snape scoffed.

"Why is it so hard to believe that I want you and only you Severus?" she asked.

"Do you need a list?" he asked.

"Get over yourself Git." said Hermione. "You're mine and you know it."

Snape smirked.

"You are a very peculiar witch Hermione Granger." he said.

"And you are positively insufferable." she replied.

"Takes one to know one it seems." he said.

He was further silenced by another deeply passionate kiss from the young bushy haired witch. As far as Hermione had been concerned she would be more than willing to prove to a certain git that she had no intention of abandoning him.

 _Later..._

Hermione had been struggling to catch her breath as Severus towered above her. He was weakening and his own breaths were ragged. Both his lank raven hair and her sandy brown bushy hair had been soaked with sweat and sticking to their respective foreheads. She could feel the lingering effects of his release as well as her own while he stared down at. She had not been aware of the flicker behind his obsidian eyes as he whispered the spell that barely registered in her ears. before she could protest the spell had already been activated.

 _"legilimens."_ he had said still looking down at her.

In an instant Hermione felt the not so subtle intrusion of her mind. She had been livid about the intrusion but allowed him if this was what it took to make him see that she meant him no harm then she would do it. She wouldn't be happy but she had nothing to hide from the un-trusting git. But there were going to be repercussions for this act. He could bet his former salary at Hogwarts on that.

 _{ Snape saw himself inside Hermione's mind. It took some time for him to get his bearings as she had a million thoughts a minute coursing through her brain like a super computer. The Potions Master had to find a way to flow with her constant thinking in a bid to access her memories. He stumbled upon one. A Primary School memory when Hermione was but seven years old._

 _The small bushy haired girl spent a lot of time reading various fascinating books about medical science, world travel, and numerous encyclopedias, while her classmates were into picture books and finger painting._

 _Not even a man as dour as Snape could ignore the pretty young bushy haired girl's cuteness. He had been rather impressed with her developing intellect. It did not seem to go over well with her teachers and the other students. The lessons seemed to bore the young girl. Snape noted that Hermione read while everyone else gathered on the colorful mat for story time._

 _He watched as a plump boy with red hair and dark eyes made his way over toward her at play time. She continued to read while everyone whispered about her behind her back. He appeared the nice sort but it took Snape a matter of seconds to decipher what he was going to do. On a dare the red haired imp decided to take it upon himself to pull Hermione's bushy hair and run back to his friends as they laughed at her tears. Of course the teacher conveniently had not seen it and simply scolded Hermione for disrupting the class. The girl had been pained and humiliated as she forced herself to stifle her sniffles and turn her attention back to her book._

 _"See I told you she was weird." said one of the kids._

 _"Yeah all she does is stare at gown up books all day." a little boy with blond hair._

 _"What a freak." said a little girl with dark hair._

 _Snape noted that it had been clear that Hermione heard everything that was being said about her. Still she valiantly continued reading. Little did they know that little girl would go on to be a treasured war hero and save their miserable little lives. Snape felt himself become slightly annoyed at their ignorance. }_

Snape had not seen the small tear that rolled down the cheek of Hermione Granger as she lay with her back pressed against the mattress.

 _{The memories swirled around until he found himself a couple years into her Primary Schooling. Hermione had been ten years old and one of the most gifted and talented students in her school. Sadly her growing thirst for knowledge did not make her any more popular with neither her teacher nor the students at that time._

 _Snape found himself treated to a scene where Hermione had gone off to a quiet part of the school and cried her eyes out in a corner with her back pressed against a wall. Feeling the scene had been all too familiar Snape quickly left the memory.}_

More tears streamed down Hermione's cheeks. But she had still been unable to break the connection. Not that she had tried. If he wanted to see what life was like for her then...so be it.

 _{Snape fished around until he came across the memory of his speech to the first year students that included her and Harry Potter. She seemed to have been as mesmerized by his words as Draco Malfoy had been. Her eyes never left his face as he spoke. Snape had quickly by passed the memory. He had his own to draw from. He continued on until he came across a memory of her running into him during their respective patrol duties._

 _"Hello Professor Snape." said Hermione with a small smile as she watched him slink up in a way that reminded her of a big cat._

 _Snape smirked as he registered her thought about him. She found out later how right she truly had been that night. He watched himself berate and belittle the witch and stalk back to his room. Hermione didn't seem to mind what he had said to her. She was more interested in fact that he had paid any attention to her at all._

 _The memory shifted and Snape found himself once again watching another exchange between himself and Hermione Granger. She seemed to have a thing for getting him to talk to her. Every time he belittled or berated her for her intellect she smiled when he wasn't looking. She had been a strange witch indeed.}_

Snape continued to shift through her memories as if he had been looking at a catalog. Hermione did not fight and gave him free access. She knew he would not rest until he was convinced that she had no ulterior motives for being with him.

 _{It wasn't long before Snape found a memory he had not quite recognized even thought he had been apart of it. He was a nearly lifeless heap on the floor of 12 Grimmauld Place. He had been too weak from suffering the effects of repeated exposure to The Cruciatus Curse. Tremors ran rampant through his body as he whimpered silently in the dark. No one knew the agony he had been suffering. Nor the humiliation of not being able to get to his appointed bedroom._

 _The last thing he needed was for his students or any of the other order members happening upon him. He knew he would never live it down or get them to stop fawning over him. He tried to move but it was no use. He didn't have the strength. The obsidian eyes of the wizard watching the ordeal fell on a certain bushy haired witch as she made her way down from the stairs. She had been watching him for several minutes wrestling with the idea of wither or not to help him. It wasn't because of who he was or how he treated her. It was because of his reaction. She didn't want to anger him and make him stop talking to her._

 _In her eyes he had been the only one that didn't want or expect anything from her other than her best when it came to her studies. Outside of the classroom she was just a face in the crowd but a familiar one. Hermione loved that Severus Snape had not been one of the many people she came across that took to using her. To others she was either the one to save Harry Potter from his stupidity or a machine to help everyone with their studies. But not to Snape, she was just the bushy haired insufferable know-it-all Gryffindor with an impressive intellect._

 _Her amber eyes filled with concern when she noticed that he had not the strength to neither get to his feet nor to crawl his way to his room. She came down the steps as quiet as a mouse and immediately cast a levitation spell. Snape had hardly noticed when she had gotten him into his room. The bushy haired witch warded the door and cast a few silencing charms._

 _She lifted her wand and checked him for bruising after casting off his frock coat. Snape let out a soft moan as she let her soft warm hands run along his chest. He had still been in his white shirt but the contact had been welcome for a man as affection starved as he even in his current state._

 _Snape noted the effect she seemed to have on him. He was desperate from more contact with her but she pulled away. Snape drowsily called out to her._

 _"D-Don't go." he managed despite the pain._

 _"I'm sorry Professor." said Hermione sadly. "I-I have to go..."_

 _He drifted off to sleep as Hermione reluctantly made her way back to her own room.}_

Snape pulled out of Hermione's mind and looked at her for what seemed like the longest time.

"I apologize." he said pulling away from her.

Hermione said nothing as they layed there staring up at the ceiling. She had been glad that he stopped when he did. Otherwise he would have found out why that she had fallen in love with him and with his current state of mind she didn't believe that it would go over well. He still had a hard time accepting her interest in him.

"Those Muggles at your primary school were imbeciles." said Snape suddenly.

Hermione smiled a small smile. She had no doubt in her mind that Snape would hex them all if given the chance. There was still the matter of paying him back for his intrusion of her mind though and Hermione vowed that he wouldn't see it coming. Still the sweetness he showed about wanting to hex those Muggles that made her almost reconsider paying him back for his rudeness. Almost.


	30. Chapter 29:Lifetime Of Regret

**Chapter 29:** _ **Lifetime Of Regret**_

 _ **{A/N: Thank you all for your patience, hope this comes out right}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Potter residence,Wizarding World..._

 _ **T**_ he emerald green eyes of Harry James Potter had been filled with sorrow and regret etched it's way across his newly pale face. He had seen the memories Dumbledore had showed him about Snape and all he had endured in the hopes of riding the wizarding world of the evil in the form of Voldemort and his death eaters. It had been something of a hard pills to swallow when Harry first found out that Snape had been a friend of his late mother's. It had been even worse when Dumbledore shared the memory of Snape's condition following Voldemort's horrific tortures. The boy-who-lived had not been able to sleep after The Headmaster showed him what Snape looked after five years in Azkaban.

Ginny had been fast asleep in the bed next to him. Or at least she was until her husband's repeated thrashing and dream speaking dragged her into consciousness. Harry seemed to still be in the grips of the unrelenting nightmare when she awoke. She tried to nudge him but it had no effect. She attempted to shake him but he simply batted her away in his fretting.

From what the red head witch could gather Harry had been having a nightmare about Snape. She couldn't tell wither Snape had been the monster in his dream or if he had been from the tears that streamed down his now pale cheeks, Ginny could see that Harry was hurt by what was happening.

 _{_ _The Heart of Harry James Potter beat frantically in his chest as he made his way back toward the Hogwarts grounds. He saw himself with a time turner dangling from his neck and his other self standing over an already pain crippled Severus Snape with a murderous look in his eyes. Hermione had tried to tell him numerous times that what he was doing to Snape was wrong but the other version of himself did not seem to care. He was consumed with the thought of causing Snape pain and watching him suffer._

 _"Harry stop this!" shouted Hermione upset._

 _"He killed Dumbledore!" shouted manic Harry. "HE DESERVES TO DIE!"_

 _He cast an unforgivable and Snape started to violently convulse on the ground. Mud had been everywhere as the dour wizard struggled against the pain from his curse._

 _"Harry you're going to kill him." said Hermione still trying in vain to stop her friend._

 _Manic Harry pushed Hermione back as she gripped his arm and she fell back onto the ground hitting her head against a stone in the process._

 _"NO!" shouted Harry as he raced toward the altercation._

 _As he got closer everything seemed to shift and change before his very eyes._

 _They were no longer standing outside Hogwarts._

 _In seconds he saw Snape clad in irons and bound to heavy chains. The dour man had been sporting a good deal of fresh bruises and there were more cuts and gashes along his back. His lengthy raven hair had been slick with sweat and nearly covered all of his face with the exception of his prominent nose. Harry had been stunned to see the wizard in such a state._

 _Snape's frock coat and cape had been stripped away leaving only his pale torso exposed and his boots had been removed to revealing only his cold bare feet if for no other reason than to add to his suffering. There had been blood everywhere and all of it had come from the dour man himself. Snape's obsidian eyes focused on the stone floor below as Harry ventured close to him._

 _"P-Professor?" said Harry unsure of the man's reaction._

 _Snape looked up revealing his tired dark eyes to him._

 _"Well hello Mr. Potter." he said in an emotionless tone. "Have you come for the show?"_

 _Harry shook his head quickly._

 _"P-Professor I-I'm sorry." he said. "I-I thought..."_

 _Snape simply seemed to look passed him._

 _"I suppose it makes no difference." he said in an emotionless tone. "I am to be executed soon."_

 _Harry's emerald green eyes widened._

 _"E-Executed?" he asked._

 _Snape continued to look at him as if he had no emotions._

 _"Is this not what the great Harry Potter wanted?" he asked. "My death...I assure you that you will get your wish oh great one...the people have heard you."_

 _"No." said Harry looking around frantically. "P-Perhaps I can change their minds...you don't deserve this Professor."_

 _"According to you and the rest of wizarding world I do." replied Snape. "I tire of this fighting anyway."_

 _Harry had opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly interrupted by two guards storming the cell._

 _"Good bye Mr. Potter." said Snape as they shuffled him to his feet and headed out the door._

 _"No." said Harry. "You're making a mistake...he's innocent!"_

 _The guards ignored him._

 _"Please..listen to me." said Harry still trying to get their attention. "Professor Snape is innocent...you're condemning an innocent man to death."_

 _The two guards still didn't seem to hear him. Harry tried using his wand to free Snape. Nothing happened. He then tried to stun the guards. Still nothing happened. Unable to speak to or change the events that were unfolding before him the green eyed wizard followed after Snape and the guards as they brought him to a public stage where massive crowds of people gathered spitting venomous words and chanting for Snape's death._

 _Harry saw Hermione trying in vain to get it through to the people and the guards that Severus Snape was an innocent man who did not deserve death. They simply ignored her. One member of the crowd seized Hermione by the arm and pulled her toward Snape so that she could get a clear view of what was about to happen._

 _"Severus." said Hermione with tears in her eyes._

 _Snape simply flashed a sad smile in her direction his memories of the night she crept into his cell had been all that seemed to be sustaining him. Harry saw the strange way Snape and Hermione had been looking at each other._

 _"Snape's whore is here to witness this!" shouted one of the men in the crowd._

 _"Let her see her worthless lover meet his just end." said a woman from the crowd._

 _"KILL HIM!" shouted others. "KILL THAT TRAITOR SEVERUS SNAPE!"_

 _"KILL HIM LIKE HE DID DUMBLEDORE!" shouted another._

 _"NO!" shouted Harry Potter as he made his way to the stage. "He's innocent! DUMBLEDORE IS STILL ALIVE!"_

 _Still not being heard Harry watched helplessly as Severus Snape was forced to his knees amid the mass of hate filled people that he had risked his life to save from the tyranny of Voldemort._

 _His obsidian eyes fell on Hermione who simply stopped struggling and reached her hand out to him._

 _Harry watched as the guard placed the very hex he tried to kill Snape with on the dour wizard. Snape's pale form twisted and writhed until he fell on his back in a pool of his own blood. Unable to move or say anything Severus Snape simply layed there on the stage in agony as the masses cheered the suffering of The Potions Master. Hermione's tear filled amber eyes never left him as his sad and suffering filled life came to a violent and bloody end by the very people he fought so hard to protect. The crowd dispersed as did the guards while Hermione made her way over to the broken and bloodied form of Severus Snape._

 _She held him in her arms as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. Harry had been unable to stop the tears that ran down his own cheeks as he looked at the dead wizard in his friend's arms._

 _"Are you happy now Harry?" asked Hermione in a cold and lifeless tone. "He's dead just like you wanted all these years."_

 _"That's not what I wanted." said Harry looking down at her. "I-I did not want this..."_

 _"Of course you did." replied Hermione. "You wanted him to die more than anything...even more than you wanted your parents back."_

 _"No." said Harry. "I-I did not want this Mione."_

 _The bushy haired witch turned her attention back to Snape. She soothed his lengthy raven hair from his blood stained pale face and smiled softly down at him._

 _"I love you Severus." she said sweetly._

 _Harry had been stunned by her words. He couldn't believe that his friend really had feelings for their former Professor._

 _"Mione." he said._

 _Hermione looked at Harry with fury in her eyes._

 _"Haven't you done enough Harry?" she asked. "Why don't you go celebrate with everyone else."_

 _Harry had been unsure of what to do with himself. He felt weak and sick at the same time._

 _"I-I didn't mean for any of this to happen." he said softly._

 _Hermione ignored him focusing on the dead Potions Professor. The green eyed wizard had been at a loss for words when the bushy haired witch leaned down and kissed the dour man on his pale lips.}_

"Professor Snape...Mione." said Harry rousing from his sleep. "I'm sorry."

Ginny shook Harry once more and his green eyes opened.

"Harry?" she said looking him over with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine." replied Harry getting use to his surroundings. "I-I..."

"You're sorry for what you did to Professor Snape and Hermione." said Ginny understanding his dream.

"Y-yes." said Harry feeling the guilt set in all over again. "I-I have to make this up to them...and I'm going to start by helping Dumbledore clear Professor Snape's name."

Ginny nodded.

"It sounds like a good start." she said. "But I suggest you get some decent sleep first."

Harry gave her a weak smile. He supposed she did have a point about how late it had been.

"Good night Harry." said Ginny as she kissed him on the lips.

"Good night Ginny." said Harry as he settled back into the covers.

Ginny Potter drifted back to sleep while Harry Potter's mind drifted back to how close Hermione and Snape had been in his dream. Had his best friend really fallen in love with the dour Potions Professor? It was all so strange. He couldn't see the possibility of Severus Snape loving anyone aside from his mother, Lily. It had been the chief reason for his involvement with the light in the wizarding wars. _But was it possible for Hermione to have actually fallen for the wizard?_ After growing increasingly terrified by the idea Harry Potter fell asleep if only to escape the questions in his mind about the Hermione and the Professor.


	31. Chapter 30:Dependency

**Chapter 30:** ** _Dependency_**

 _ **My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Sitting Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **S**_ everus Snape narrowed his obsidian eyes at the bushy haired witch that held his wine in one small but firm grasp. She had fire behind her amber eyes as she glared at him. He figured she had still be upset that he had invaded her mind in such a callous way but he had to be sure. Despite everything that has happened, everything that she had been through for his sake he didn't feel that he could truly trust the witch until he knew what her motivation had been for wanting to help him. In the eyes of a Slytherin what he had done was understandable given all that he had suffered but in the eyes of a Gryffindor such as Hermione, what he did was considered to be a small act of betrayal.

"Granger put that down." said Snape not taking his eyes off the witch or the bottle.

"Why shouldn't I smash this right here?" she asked.

"Because there is only a few of the blasted things left in this house and I require all of them." replied Snape.

"And that is my problem why?" asked Hermione still narrowing her eyes.

"In case you haven't noticed I am in no condition to endure the symptoms of latent war trauma." he said.

Hermione considered what he had said for a moment.

"Severus you have more than war trauma." she said.

Snape arched an eyebrow at her.

"What are you on about Miss Granger?" he asked still not letting up about his wine.

"I-I was doing some reading..." said Hermione.

"Who wouldn't have guessed." said Snape.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him once more.

"As I was saying I was doing some reading a while back and what you have seem to fit the condition the Muggles refer to as PTSD." she finished.

"PTSD?" he asked. "What the hell is that some Muggle disease?"

"Not exactly." replied Hermione. "You appear to be having the late onset of the condition...traumatic events be it physical or mental are causing your emotional distress and you appear to be showing an increasing dependency on alcoholic substances to wade through what ever it is that is bothering you."

"I take it that your a muggle shrink now?" asked Snape seemingly unimpressed. "Give me back my bottle and I'll let you make any kind of diagnosis until your heart is content."

"Drinking only makes the PTSD worse." said Hermione.

"I'll take my chances." replied Snape. " _Accio Wine."_

Hermione had been stunned when the wine flew from her hand and into his pale grasp. He smirked at the bushy haired witch and opened it. He drank some down and walked back toward his bedroom.

"You're only making it worse Severus." called Hermione after him.

"Perhaps that's my intention." he called back.

The bushy haired witch shook her head. That stubborn wizard was next to impossible to deal with. She sighed and pulled a book off the shelf on Muggle studies concerning Wizard health. She had to find some way to help the dour sod before he seriously hurt himself beyond repair.

Hermione didn't put it passed Severus to use wine as another way to hurt himself. He had been prone to hurting himself in the past and she had not seen how even an extended stay in Askaban would curb that particularly bad habit. With a sigh she turned her attention back to the book desperate for a way to help her lover.

He needed a great deal of help despite his outward antics. Being in an abusive home from birth to having garnered more abuse as a child in Hogwarts and the various torments he endured under Voldemort's reign had not been good for him. The witch also noted that he had not been accustomed to dealing with grief very well. He either acted as if it never happened or he bottled it up before getting blind drunk and harming himself.

"Severus." sighed Hermione looking over her book. "What am I going to do with you?"

 _Later..._

 _Snape's Bedroom, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Severus Snape had been tossing and turning in bed all night. His obsidian eyes sprang open and he awoke alone in a pool of his own sweat. The spot Hermione usually occupied during their various night caps had been empty. He figured the bushy haired witch had been upset with him due to his antics as of late. The dour wizard simply turned on his side and tried to drift back off to sleep. After laying in the dark for another thirty minutes Snape decided he had, had enough. The Potions Master slipped out of bed and made his way down the darkened hall toward the sitting room. Where he had last seen the young witch. He wouldn't have put it passed her to be huddled over yet another of the Dumbledore brothers' books.

The dour wizard had been bombarded with a new round of night terrors and called out for Hermione only to find that she had not been anywhere in sight. It had been strange to note that he had not been able to sleep well without the warmth of the young bushy haired witch beside him. He chose to ignore the obvious inclination of dependency and find the witch in question.

He took a moment to peek into her bedroom and found that it had been still neat with her bed showing no signs of use. She didn't seem to spend much time in it at all despite the set up. She had either been in the sitting room surrounded by books or in bed with him for the most part of her stay. Snape smirked at the thought when he made his way further down the hall.

 _The Sitting Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

True to form Hermione Granger had been asleep on the sofa with a book in her lap. Snape smirked as he walked over toward the exhausted witch. A thought passed through his mind about the possibility of her being what most would refer to as "adorable". The dour man shook it from his mind and continued to approach the sleeping Hermione.

In a former life he supposed he would have been callous enough to let the witch sleep in such an uncomfortable position and wake in the morning with all the consequences that sleeping in such a manner held. At this point it had come down to his own needs as he scooped the sleeping witch into his arms. She nuzzled her cheek into his pale bare chest seemingly comfortable listening to the sound of his heart beating.

"Severus." she said sleepily.

Snape sighed not wishing to give voice or name to the feelings of warmth the young witch had been stirring within him.

"I'm here witch." he replied. "It's time for bed."

The Potions Master carried Hermione into his bedroom and layed her down gently on the bed before joining her.

The sleeping young witch scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist as he slept with his back to her. He may have needed her in bed with him but he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of knowing such a thing. Feeling the witch's chin rest against his shoulder Snape drifted off to sleep. It was fine so long as she _needed_ him. He could allow her to indulge in affectionate embraces. Comfort had not been his strong suit and he had never known anyone that freely gave it.

After a few hours Snape and Hermione seemed to shift in sleep.

It wasn't long before they were facing the opposite wall with His lean body spooned around hers and his arms wrapped tightly around her slender waist. Her bushy hair filling his nostrils with ever present lingering the scent of jasmine that had become something of a trademark scent for the young witch.

Hermione felt safe in the arms of the dour wizard. More so than she had been in a very long time. Snape for his part had been rather content. His night terrors had been at bay at least for the time being and he had managed to acquire the affections of a beautiful young witch even in sleep. He had been rather elated when his presence had not repulsed the witch as it had so many others upon awakening. Still he had not been fool enough to dilute himself into thinking that this was more than what it was. While their association had been pleasurable and interesting at the best of times he had no intention of making claims on the vibrant young witch.

Unbeknownst to Snape his logical and deeply depressed mind had no standing on his heart nor did it fully effect his subconscious as he held on the witch seemingly for dear life.

"snart ans." he hissed in sleep. "Kura ans' snart ans." {"Black one's smart one."}

Both the dour wizard and the bushy haired witch continued to sleep peacefully into the night. Neither of them knew when they had reached this state of dependency and if confronted Snape might have denied it with every fiber of his being. Still the fact remained that it was there. And it didn't seem to be breaking any time soon.


	32. Chapter 31:Manifestations Of One's Demo

**Chapter 31:** _ **Manifestations Of One's Demons**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"What if I wanted to break...laugh it all off in your face...what would you do?...What if I Fell To The Floor Couldn't Take This Anymore...What Would You Do?...Come Break Me Down...Bury Me...Bury Me...What If I Wanted To Fight...Beg For The Rest Of My Life..."} The Kill, 30 Seconds To Mars**_

 _The Sitting Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **M**_ idnight saw a very restless and utterly drunk Severus Snape wandering the halls in the darkness. His condition seemed to worsen as he swayed rather drunkenly. Hermione had decided to sleep in her own room for the night after seeing Severus take to the bottle. She had not liked that he had a dependency on alcohol and made it a point to avoid him in protest. She believed that he was making his condition worse with every bottle he consumed and he continued to ignore her warnings about what was really going on with him. The dour wizard stumbled into the sitting room, possibly seeking Hermione out on instinct.

No sooner had he turned the corner in the darkness did a lone figure catch his attention. She was a woman pale and thin with long flowing strawberry hair and emerald green eyes that shimmered in the glow of the fireplace. Severus blinked unable to get the image from his mind. He knew her even before thinking about her features. She walked over toward him a grim expression on her face.

"Hi Sev." she said almost sweetly. "Did you miss me?"

Snape immediately grew cautious.

"You are not here." he said. "Clearly I have been overdoing it with the wine."

Lily didn't seem all that phased by his words.

"Don't be like that Sev." she said strolling over to the dour wizard.

"NO!" shouted Snape pulling away from the deceased witch. "You shouldn't be here."

"Sev." said Lily looking hurt by his words. "Don't you still love me?"

"Lily..." he said backing away from her.

"Don't you still love your _Mudblood_." she said almost bitterly.

"I-I didn't mean to call you that...Potter..." he started but was cut off as she continued to advance on him.

Snape's obsidian eyes widened as the beautiful witch's body had begun to rapidly decompose before him.

"Severus." said another familiar voice from behind him.

Snape turned from the decomposing Lily to see his mother as she was the last time he saw her dead on the kitchen floor. The blood still spilling from her wounds as fresh as the day it happened. Her obsidian eyes as lifeless as the day he last looked into them.

"M-Mother." he said in a near on whisper.

"Is that any way to treat the woman you love?" she asked narrowing her eyes at him.

"M-Mother I..." he started but was quickly silenced by the sight of more long dead people from his past.

"Severussss." came the familiar hiss of none other than Voldemort. "Yoooou have betrayyyyedddd mmeeee!"

"Oh for Merlin's sake." said Snape annoyed. "You cannot be serious."

"Oh I'm afraid they are." said another voice Snape had dreaded from the past.

He turned around to see Tobias standing with his arms folded across his chest in very much the same manner he would have them.

"Surprised to see me...Son." said Tobias with a hint of anger in his tone.

The tall man sulked his way over toward Snape who found himself to be the height of a child in his presence.

"Imagine how I felt." said Tobias. "Murdered by my own son."

"Sod off you deserved it." replied Snape. "All the pain and suffering you caused."

"And yet you still life despite all the pain and suffering you have caused." said Tobias with a grin. "Face it boy your a chip off the ol' block and ordinarily I'd be proud if it had not been for you killing me...freak."

"YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!" shouted Snape also finding that he had the voice of a child.

"Yes." said Tobias. "Aren't we a pair."

"Sod off." said Snape still enraged.

"Do you honestly think your little witch can save you?" asked Tobias with a wicked chuckle. "You are scum just as much as I ever was...betraying your friends, how many people have you killed and told yourself it was for the greater good?"

"Shut up." said Snape narrowing his eyes at his father.

"Or what?" asked Tobias with an arched eyebrow. "Face it freak...Potter was right about you...your a murderer...you have no place in this world other than the head's man's ax or Azkaban."

"Fuck off." said Snape throwing a lamp at the specter.

"SSSeeee I told you he wassss disssobediant.." hissed Voldemort.

"Piss off Snake boy." said Snape irate. "I never liked you...It was all too easy to sit back and plot your down fall pompous, nose-less freak...what the hell kind of name is Voldemort anyway no wonder you got picked on in school...Headmaster's pet."

Voldemort's glowing red eyes flashed dangerously.

"YOU INSOLENT HALF-BLOOD STREET URCHIN!" he shouted.

"I'm suppose to be afraid of a poser who sends a child to do his bidding because he's afraid of another child?" asked Snape annoyed. "Shouldn't you both be burning in hell by now."

"That's rich coming from a man that should be halfway there by now." said the annoying voice of James Potter.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Of course." he said not at all surprised. "Anyone else?"

"Snivellus." said the voice of Sirius Black.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" shouted Snape unable to take anymore.

 _Basement, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Hermione Granger stood confused as she looked down at The Potions Master who had been huddled in a corner with bits of broken glass all around him. He had cut his hand and was bleeding pretty badly as he sat in the darkness. The bushy haired witch had been wondering why Snape had not been in bed when she went to check on him. He apparently wondered the house in the dark speaking aloud about various dead people from his past.

"Severus." she said softly.

Snape looked at her with wild obsidian eyes.

He had been soaked from sweat and shaking in the dark.

"Severus come and let me help you." said Hermione still softly.

Snape looked at her confused for a moment and then he blinked.

"Miss Granger?" he asked in a low voice.

Hermione figured his condition was getting worse as the days passed.

"Yes, Severus it's me." she said extending her hand.

Snape took her hand with his good one and she lead him out of the basement and into the kitchen where she cleaned his cut and wiped him down from the fever he was experiencing. When she was done she lead him back to his bedroom and they climbed into bed together. He fell asleep resting his head against her chest listening to her breathing. The bushy haired witch sighed in the dark running her finger through his sweat slick raven hair.

"What am I going to do with you?" she asked in a whisper.

"Hmmmm." grumbled Snape in his sleep. "Her-mi-on-e..."

The scent of jasmine filled his nostrils and he continued to drift off peacefully.

The bushy haired witch knew she had to get him to stop drinking and possibly talk to her about what was bothering him. It was clear whatever it was that he had been holding on to was hurting him far worse than any physical torment anyone could put him through.

"Severus why do you do this to yourself?" she asked softly. "I'm sure whatever you did you had a good reason for it...why all the self-hatred?"

Snape gripped the witch tightly in his sleep.

"Snart ans...hesleuf..." {Smart one help...} he hissed. "Kura ans...bana ans..." {Black one, cold one...}

Hermione had no idea what the dour wizard had been dreaming about but she was concerned none-the-less.

 _{ Severus Snape stood in the center of the strange bedroom Lucius Malfoy had lead him to. He noted the large four poster bed and it's elegant bedding and red walls with gold trim that decorated the entire room. He sat down on the edge of the bed and was immediately joined by a witch with brown hair and brown eyes with a slender build and a fair complexion. She dropped down to her knees before him and started fumbling with his trousers. Severus had not known what to do with her and it apparently got the attention of Lucius who ventured back into the room._

 _"Severus let her please you." said the handsome albino blond._

 _Severus looked at Lucius a bit confused about his being there._

 _"My Little Severus." said Lucius. "So young and inexperienced...don't worry I shall teach you quite abit about pleasing the opposite sex...unless of course you fancy a bit of the familiar...still I believe my lessons shall be beneficial then too."_

 _Snape narrowed his eyes at Lucius._

 _"I only like girls." said Snape defensive._

 _"Of course you do." replied Lucius. "What do you say we up grade your tastes to include women."_

 _Snape rolled his eyes at the arrogant blond._

 _Lucius turned his attention to the brown haired witch and gave her simple instructions. He then turned his attention to Severus._

 _"Lie back and let her please you." said Lucius with a smile. "Don't be afraid to enjoy yourself, little brother you are among family."_

 _Snape begrudgingly did as Lucius instructed. With a wave of his hand Lucius spelled away both Severus and the witch's clothes off._

 _As the hours passed Severus found himself buried to the hilt in the writhing witch's warmth still ad-hearing to Lucius's instruction with each thrust._

 _"Very good little brother now harder." said the albino blond with a warm smile._

 _Severus did as he was told causing the witch to cry out in pleasure. }_

In the present Severus had been applying Lucius' words to a young bushy haired witch in the middle of the night. Hermione gripped him tighter as he continued to make her cry out in empty manor. She had not known how long they had been at it but she was exhausted when it came to an end Severus leaned against the witch also spent.

Like before she ran her finger through his sweat soaked raven hair but this time with a sleepy, sated smile filed across her face. This was one dream she didn't mind him reliving. Still, she knew that Severus needed help and if he didn't get it then he could potentially hurt himself or someone else without intending to.

"Severus?" said Hermione.

"Yes witch." he grumbled in sleep.

"You really need to stop drinking." she said.

"Yes witch." he grumbled again. "Now go to sleep."

Without another word Hermione drifted off as easily as he had. She would find a way to fix him tomorrow. For now they both seemed to be content to lay quietly in the darkness of his room pleased with each other's company.


	33. Chapter 32:An Invitation of Sorts

**Chapter 32:** _ **An Invitation of Sorts**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's an update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Malfoy Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **T**_ o say that Harry James Potter had been surprised to receive an invitation to come to Malfoy Manor was an understatement. He had never expected them to want anything more to do with them after his threats to make their lives, which he held in the palm of his hands at the close of the second wizarding war more difficult if any of them thought to aid or have anything more to do with Severus Snape. It had been a crushing blow to Snape and The Malfoys given their long friendship but it was all they could do to keep out of Harry's cross hairs. To his credit Snape had thought it better that they stayed away as well. Now the green eyed wizard could feel nothing but sorrow as he stood in front of the large black double door that lead to the inside of Malfoy Manor.

The last time he had been here it had been to rescue Hermione from Bellatrix LeStrange.

The hero of the wizarding world made his way into Malfoy Manor when the large black door opened. He had expected Draco's family to be as they were before the war, parading their wealth and privilege to the masses. He had been stunned to find that the place looked even more like an old tomb despite Voldemort and his other death eaters being gone. The curtains were always drawn and there were few servants.

Harry stepped into the long entrance way and followed the path that lead to the sitting room. He was greeted by a very angry Narcissa Malfoy who had not been impressed with any of his grand standing at Severus Snape's trial nor his threats against her family after everything they had sacrificed to bring about the ungrateful brat's victory.

The Lady of the manor glared at the young wizard with hate filled dark eyes.

"My husband will see you now." she said in a cold tone and walked away from him.

Harry nodded understanding her fury and followed after her taking her turning and walking away from him as a cue to do so. She had not wanted to be in his presence for very long and loathed to even have him in what remained of her home. It may not have been as glamorous as it once was but she felt Harry Potter had been unworthy to stand in it. The older witch did not care what he did to save the wizarding world as far as she was concerned everything he had done to Severus was cruel and spiteful.

She pointed toward the heavy brown door that lead to Lucius and her bedroom. Harry hesitated before making his way inside. He wasn't sure what kind of state he would find Lucius Malfoy in on the other side. The man had not been as dashing and flashy as he had been the first day he met him. His luxurious blond hair had been frizzed and wracked with spit-ends. His albino white skin seemed to grow more pale and his formerly smooth face riddled with a short unshaven beard.

Harry almost couldn't believe his eyes as he happened upon a bedridden Lucius Malfoy. His face heavy with signs of age and sorrow. His formerly vibrant gray eyes had been been seemingly soulless orbs that focused on Harry as he made his way inside.

"Y-You wanted to see me?" asked Harry with his normally even voice cracking in the wake of the older wizard's despair.

Lucius took in a labored breath.

"S-Severus." he said in a weak raspy tone.

Harry sighed.

Lucius forced himself to sit up and look into the emerald green eyes of The boy who had caused so much trouble for him and his family. A boy who Severus had spent much of his adult life protecting. A boy who looked the spitting image of his arrogant deceased father with the haunting reminder of the eyes of Lily Potter's own green eyes.

"S-Severus." said Lucius appearing quite angry despite his in active vocals.

Harry sighed knowing at last that Lucius might have been caught up on the recent round of politics within the wizengamot.

"I-I assume you've heard." said Harry.

"W-What have you done?" said Lucius at last finding his voice with a little help from his fury.

"I-I didn't know." said Harry. "I was only trying to..."

"QUIET BOY!" shouted Lucius. "Your arrogance has done more than ruin the life of one of the wizarding world's greatest heroes...you have no idea who you've just crawled into bed with."

Harry arched an eyebrow at this.

"W-What are you talking about?" he asked confused.

"MATHIAS!" shouted Lucius. "You stupid arrogant prat...Mathias Prince is the most ruthless _Pureblood_ advocate in the wizarding world...He beat his own daughter nearly to death in a bid to get her to think Muggles are inferior creatures...she ran away in a bid to keep from marrying his chosen wizard for her."

"Did you just say...?" asked Harry.

"Prince." said Lucius annoyed. "Yes...Mathias Prince, father to Eileen Prince and last known _Pureblood_ of the Prince family line."

"But that means..." said Harry.

"Yes you daft boot licking dunderhead." said Lucius trying his best to censor his insults around the boy. "Mathias is Severus' grandfather."

Harry's mouth dropped open as Ron's often did whenever he was stunned beyond words.

"But at the hearing...he wanted to..." started Harry.

"Kill his half-muggle blood grandson." said Lucius.

Harry felt dizzy all of the sudden.

Lucius spelled a chair for him as he sat down. He could tell the young wizard had been visibly shaken by what he just heard.

"If that was shocking to you then you'll be even more surprised to learn that Mathias Prince was an avid supporter of The Dark Lord." said Lucius. "If that bastard gets control of the wizengamot..."

It was Harry's turn to finish Lucius' sentence.

"Then he'll reenact his policies." said the green-eyed wizard in disbelief.

Without warning Lucius got up from the bed and rushed Harry pinning the younger wizard against a nearby wall. He had not been a feeble as he looked apparently or rather he had great strength when it came to defending those he cared about.

"Now you get it." said The albino blond. "And mark my words Potter, if that son of a bitch harms Severus in any way I will not hesitate to slit your useless throat, the dark lord is long gone and there is no need for you to survive should another war occur."

Harry nodded slowly.

"Severus is my brother." said Lucius. "And I will see to it that you pay for what you've done to him...but for now you'd better hope that Mathias doesn't get anywhere near him."

"H-He's with Dumbledore." said Harry. "I-I don't know where exactly but Hermione's with him."

Lucius lessened the grip on Harry's collar.

"Take me to the old man." he said. "I must see my brother."

"I-I don't think that is such a..."

Lucius gripped Harry's collar again twisting it so that it choked him.

"Do not let what you thought you got away with in your second year go to your head boy." said the now seething albino blond. "I am in no mood for your antics...you have done far too much to my family to ever deserve a reprieve."

"What about what you've done to my wife?" asked Harry glaring back at him.

"Your Weasley slut is of no consequence to me." said Lucius. "I have no sentiment, I care only for my family and since we are since we are on the subject your attempting to murder my only son as well as my brother far cancel out what happened to a nosy chit who read a book she should never have opened."

Harry continued to glare at the older wizard.

"D-Draco nearly killed Katie Bell with that necklace..." said Harry defending his actions. "I thought Snape had killed Dumbledore."

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"So much for your thinking." he remarked. "I am beginning to see why Severus hated you."

"The feeling was mutual." replied Harry.

"I care not about your feelings Potter." said Lucius sounding a bit like Snape. "I want to ensure that my brother is left alone by you and your so-called blood hounds of justice."

"I-I have no more issue with Professor Snape." said Harry.

"A change of heart then?" asked Lucius. "How noble of you...how very Gryffindor."

Harry narrowed his eyes at the albino blond.

"You will take me to the old man." said Lucius. "I must see my brother...after what you've done you'd better hope that he isn't shattered...or I promise you...you will know the feeling."

After being dismissed by Lucius Malfoy, Harry left Malfoy Manor getting a glimpse of Narcissa glaring at him with cold dark eyes. He had not seen any sign of Draco. Not many people have heard too much about the young Malfoy since the war ended. If Harry had to guess Draco either left England or simply stayed out of the public as much as possible.

Harry apparated from Malfoy Manor and headed back to The Burrows. He had a lot to think about and a lot of damage to undo before it was too late. He just hoped that he could fix it before things got any worse.


	34. Chapter 33:To Ponder Fate

**Chapter 33: To Ponder Fate**

 _ **{A/N: Here's an update...Happy Birthday Little Nephew and Happy Birthday Alan Rickman R.I.P.}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Malfoy Manor Wizarding World..._

 _ **N**_ arcissa Malfoy had been pacing the empty front room of she had not liked having Harry Potter in her home after everything that he had done to both her son and Severus. Still, she understood that Lucius invited him for a reason and did her best to respect Lucius' decision. The witch made her way up the winding staircase toward her son's bedroom. Draco had been having trouble adjusting after the death eaters had all been gone. He still woke up screaming in the dark and refused to take his meals any where but his bedroom after what occurred with Professor Charity Burbage. He had not spoken much since Severus was tried and sentenced to Azkaban in his place for the murder of Albus Dumbledore. The junior Malfoy had not taken it well how close he came to having his life ruined by Voldemort and his antics.

"Draco?" said Narcissa as she stepped into the boy's bedroom.

The young Malfoy had been alone sitting at the edge of his bed staring out into nothing. His eyes looked heavy and his short sleek blond hair had grown out long and unkempt. Draco did not seem to be getting much sleep as of late and the shadows beneath his empty gray eyes was the result. The once confidant young wizard with a bright future ahead of him had become quiet and reserved.

Harry Potter's campaigning against Snape made it so that the Malfoy's had been under careful surveillance since their pardon due to their last minute defection from Voldemort's group and Narcissa saving Harry Potter's life. Harry's gratitude had been extended to both Lucius and Draco but not to Snape when the witch had requested they all get a pass for their past affiliations.

"Draco." said Narcissa once more.

The young albino blond wizard simply looked at her as if she had been far away.

"Is uncle?" he asked unable to finish the sentence.

"No." replied Narcissa. "Your uncle Severus is alive and well."

Draco nodded.

"Good." he said in an emotionless tone.

Narcissa knew not to linger much longer. Draco wasn't much for company the past few years. He had a promising ambition to be apart of the Ministry of Magic but when Voldemort destroyed the Ministry and killed the minister of magic he didn't give it a second thought. He had been afraid to return to Hogwarts but did so at the behest of his mother. He had kept to himself mostly and did his work quietly though it had not been much of a difference since all of Slytherin house acted in the same manner with Minerva McGonagall running Hogwarts and everyone being weary of Slytherin House since their former Head of House was seen as a murderer.

Draco graduated and returned home where he lived quietly and did his best to keep out of sight and deal with his memories from the war. He had been afraid Snape would have been killed by Harry Potter or the ruling Ministry of Magic. It had not been lost on the boy just how close he was to being in Snape's shoes and he was very grateful to his Godfather for stepping in when he did. Only now the guilt of what was happening to the man for the past five years seemed to be eating away at the boy who had become a man in a blink of an eye.

The witch left Draco to his thoughts and made her way to see her husband.

 _Bedroom, Malfoy Manor..._

Lucius had been anxious as he paced the darkened bedroom. He had not been in any better shape than when Harry Potter came to visit but he was up and about. Narcissa usually left him to his thoughts as she did Draco most days. The witch had been very good at keeping herself busy the past few years. With both an ailing son and husband it was easy to see why.

Narcissa stepped inside the bedroom. She had not taken her dark eyes off Lucius as he stood in the center of the room seemingly deep in thought.

"I have to find him before Mathias does." he said without turning around.

"Do you have any idea where to look?" she asked.

"No, but having the prat Potter take me to the old man is a start." replied Lucius.

"Good thinking." said Narcissa.

"I just hope that I can reach him in time." said Lucius. "Severus has taken quite a beating over the past few years...I highly doubt his occulemency is holding up."

"You know how he gets with his night terrors." said Narcissa. "No doubt being imprisoned for five years has made them worse."

Lucius nodded.

"I fear given what happened that is precisely what has happened to him." he said. "We cannot afford for Mathias to gain a foothold in his private war."

"What are you going to do about it?" asked Narcissa.

"Kill him of course." said Lucius. "The old fossil must go if Severus is to have any hope of a normal life."

"Bring him home Lucius." said Narcissa. "I cannot stand the thought of him being out there alone."

"I intend to." said Lucius. "I thought it might interest you to know that Potter tells me that Miss Granger is with him."

"Wasn't she at his trial?" asked Narcissa.

"I believe so." replied Lucius. "It seems she saw fit to still fight for him when most others had given up."

"I dare say she is a determined young witch." said Narcissa.

"Indeed." replied Lucius. "I wonder if Severus was bedding her while he taught at Hogwarts."

"Lucius." said Narcissa seemingly outraged.

"I am simply trying to guess why she would be so devoted to a man she knows nothing about when her little friends seemed to think he was guilty." said the albino blond wizard. "Last time I checked Severus was not one for turning down trim from beautiful young witches."

"She was a child then." said Narcissa. "I resent the fact that you would even imply..."

"It was only a thought Cissa." said Lucius. "I didn't want to imagine the old sod being alone after all this time."

Narcissa sighed.

"Just bring him home Lucius." she said. "We're the only family he has."

Her husband nodded.

"I will bring Severus home." he vowed.

"The wizarding world doesn't deserve him." said Narcissa. "Everything he did for everyone to be free of the dark lord and this is how they choose to repay him."

"On that we agree." said Lucius."All this hero business is highly overrated."

Narcissa looked at the clock on the nearby wall.

"I suppose I should get dinner started." she said.

Lucius simply nodded.

Narcissa showed herself out and made her way down to the kitchens. Lucius turned his attention back to his thoughts. He couldn't let Mathias get to Severus or he would surely kill the dour wizard. The handsome albino wizard sighed. This was truly a fine mess Harry Potter had made. Now he was going to have to help the stupid sod clean it up. Right along with the old fossil Dumbledore.


	35. Chapter 34: Passive

**Chapter 34:** _ **Passive**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's an update...}**_

 _ **{"My Perfect Enemy...Wake Up And Face Me...Don't Play Dead Cause Maybe...Someday, I Will Walk Away And Say You Disappoint Me...Maybe Your Better Off This Way...Maybe Your Better Off This Way..."} Passive, A Perfect Circle**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Potter Residence,The Burrows, Wizarding World..._

 _ **I**_ t had taken Harry some time to absorb what Lucius Malfoy had told him about Mathias Prince and his plans for the future of the wizengamot. He arrived home to find worried faces looking over him. Ron had been at the door and Ginny pacing the kitchen. When he had gotten the invitation to Malfoy Manor he had taken off without saying a word to either of them. It caused a state of panic but both Ron and Ginny seemed to be managing well enough not to have involved the rest of the family.

"Where have you been Mate?" asked Ron concerned. "Ginny's been sweating buckets over you up and leaving like that."

"I had something to take care of." said Harry finding that his voice had been shaken.

Ron arched and eyebrow at this.

"Is something wrong Harry?" he asked with even more concern filling him.

Harry sighed. He guessed Ron might as well know he had been with him through the war with Voldemort since they were children.

"Ron, I'm afraid that I did something so bad that not even Dumbledore could fix it." said Harry in a defeated tone.

"What could be worse than condemning Snape and turning your back on Hermione?" asked Ron.

"Apparently, Mathias is Snape's grandfather and he's more power hungry than Voldemort and Fudge put together." said the green eyed wizard.

Ron's eyes widened.

"S-Snape's grandfather?" he asked stunned. "H-How is he alive if Snape's as old as he is?"

"Ron, Mathias is a _Pureblood_ wizard." said Harry.

" _Pureblood_?" asked the red haired wizard. "Then that means?"

"I basically endorsed and handed control of The Wizengamot to a power hungry tyrant." said the green eyed wizard.

"Blimey Harry, what have you done?" asked Ron with widened eyes. "I never liked that Mathias and now I find out not only is he related to Snape but he's a bloody _Pureblood_ Supremacist."

Harry said nothing more as his eyes fell to the floor. He had no idea how he was going to fix this. The wizarding world had not even been over Voldemort's reign of terror the last thing they needed was to face off against another power-mad wizard, this time of _Pureblood_ make.

"What are you doing to do?" asked Ron.

"I-I have to convince Dumbledore to let Lucius see Snape." said Harry. "According to Malfoy, Snape is the key to Mathias' plans."

"Oh that's just great." said Ron. "A third wizarding war is practically on our doorstep and we don't even have Hermione to help us figure this whole thing out."

Harry silently agreed. They needed Hermione now more than ever and she was hiding out with Snape. He sighed and plopped down into his arm chair. This was going to be worse than before. The one advantage was that Voldemort was completely insane and hardly anyone wanted to flock to his banner but with Mathias, an old _Pureblood_ wizard with political ties as well as an intellect beyond the years of both Harry and Ron, even Hermione would meet her match in him.

Mathias was a likable guy. Harry had even thought he had liked him and it was the first time he had ever met the man. The only thing Harry could gauge from all that was going on was that Snape's grandfather had been planning his little war long before Voldemort reared his ugly head into the wizarding world. Snape was to be his greatest weapon even before he had been born it seemed.

"What's our first move?" asked Ron.

Harry looked up at Ron in disbelief.

"Y-You want to help...after everything..." he stammered.

"Look, I know you've messed up." said Ron. "Messed up really really bad...but you are family Harry and you can't do this all on your own...your not the chosen one in this war."

Harry sighed.

"No." he said slightly relieved. "But Snape is."

"Definitely." replied Ron nodding. "So what's our first move?"

"We go to Hogwarts to find Dumbledore." said Harry. "Hopefully he has forgiven me enough to take us to Snape...of course we'll have to bring Malfoy senior along, he's the only one that can get through to Snape."

"Right." said Ron. "We'll start there...w-what about Hermione?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea if Hermione would forgive him. Or if the witch wanted to help given that the last time she helped save the wizarding world everyone turned their back's on her to side with Harry, who had been wrong on so many levels...perhaps the young witch would feel they didn't deserve her help and if she truly felt that way she would be right to.

"I-I don't know Ron." said Harry. "I haven't seen or spoken to her since..."

"Since you blew up at her after the trial and called her Snape's whore for defending him." said Ron.

Harry looked down once more.

"I-I should not have said that." he said sadly. "Especially not to her after everything that she's done and how she stuck by me, even when you bailed...Hermione never left my side or gave up on me."

"No need to rub it in mate." said Ron a little bitter.

"I-I'm not trying to Ron." said Harry. "All I am saying is that...maybe I should have listened to Hermione about Snape...she is the one person who embodies all of the traits of Gryffindor house and she's never been wrong yet when it comes to her instincts."

Ron nodded in agreement. He had been more than a little saddened about the way things turned out with Hermione. She truly was an amazing witch and had been his girlfriend once, before he blew it and sided with Harry and she went off with Victor Krum. Who knew they might have been married by now if he hadn't been so thick.

"Hermione is an amazing witch." said Ron. "Perhaps she'll forgive us one day."

"One can only hope." said Harry rising from his chair. "Anyway I'd better go let Ginny know that I'm alright."

"Good idea." replied Ron. "She's getting to be as bad as Mom by now."

Harry shook his head and made his way into his kitchen. If they didn't stop Mathias the wizarding world would be in yet another uphill battle for freedom and there was no telling what twisted idealism the older wizard had in store. Unlike Voldemort, he knew what he wanted and did not fear children or the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Ron sighed and sank into the chair himself. He had not wished to have to fight in yet another wizarding war, It was enough spending most of his life trying to survive the last one and everyone narrowly escaped that with their lives. The red head wizard thought back to it being mostly due to Snape's efforts more than anything. Still, unlike before Snape had been treated like a criminal and condemned by the very world he saved there was no telling how he would feel about anyone now given what Harry told him of Snape's condition after his imprisonment.

There was a lot of bad blood between Snape and everyone else now there was not telling if he would side with his grandfather or not. Ron's head had begun to hurt from all the over thinking. The only thing the Weasley knew for sure was that they needed Hermione if they were going to stand any sort of chance in this upcoming war.


	36. Chapter 35:Blood Tracer

**Chapter 35:** _ **Blood Tracer**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's an update...}**_

 _ **{"I Got A Tortured Mind... And My Blade Is Sharp...A Bad Combination In The Dark..."} -The Black Keys, Sinister Kid**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Prince Estate, Wizarding World..._

 _ **M**_ athias Prince had been thrilled with the way things have turned out so far. Harry Potter had basically delivered the instrument of controlling The Wizengamot and it would only be a matter of time before he would have his grandson in his clutches. Severus Snape had been the last male heir of the Prince family line. Eileen had been quite the thorn in his side after she refused to marry Lord Parimort's son Lial and give him a _Pureblood_ Heir that would have strengthened the Prince family line and taken it to new heights. Unfortunately, she had chosen to run off and marry the muggle Tobias Snape. Her insolence did not go unpunished, Mathias had seen to that. A very powerful _Imperio curse_ had saw to Tobias been less than the husband she thought herself to marry. Needless to say, her death was a little more than a passing phase.

Once he had been rid of his troublesome daughter, he made sure to tie up the loose ends with Tobias as well. What a perfect way to exact his complete revenge and rid himself of all outside influence when it came to achieving his ultimate goal. Voldemort had been clueless when Mathias decided to lend his support to his "death eaters", a name that made the elder Prince scoff in disgust.

He had no use for the would be play faction when he already belonged to a long standing _Pureblood_ organization. The idea was to carefully blend in with Voldemort so that he would keep the wizarding world off their mark while they plotted in secret. Unbeknownst to his former "brothers" Mathias had plans of his own and backed the despot in a bid to rid himself of his minor competition. The despot brought him closer to his greatest desires and he had even managed to recruit his wayward grandson.

It all had been just too perfect.

Then at the close of the war it was said that Severus had killed legendary Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. It stirred a feeling of pride in the elder Prince, and put him on the path to a very startling realization. Despite his daughter's antics it was clear that Severus was indeed more like him than she had anticipated and with all her meddling it was no match for the Prince blood that flowed through his veins.

The elder Prince made his way inside his manor in elated spirits. He was greeted by his servant, Cornelius Marxus. A thin unappealing man with fumbling nerves and clumsy feet. Cornelius had taken the wizard's coat and hat as he handed them to him in rapid succession. He fumbled about catching them all and making his way to put them away.

"Good day to day sir?" asked Cornelius.

"Tremendously." replied Mathias. "The Wizengamot has gathered to elect an acting Prime Minister."

"Who did they choose my lord?" asked Cornelius.

"Pius Thicknesse." replied Mathias. "My personal choice for the next Minister of Magic."

"This must mean..." said Cornelius amazed.

"That everything is going according to my plans." replied Mathias.

A smile filed across the dour wizard's pale face as he made his way toward his study. It was a vast place filled with books as far as the eye could see and elegance that rivaled anything the Malfoys put on display before the war. It was an old and prestigious house kept in the Prince line for generations. The color scheme had been more along the lines of black and silver but it was still a grand house if empty aside from the various portraits of the deceased members of the once prominent line.

"My lord, how are you going to get your grandson to see your way of thinking, you know what his actions did to Voldemort." said Cornelius.

"That crack pot was no true ruler or _Pureblood_ for that matter." said Mathias. "I had half a mind to applaud my grandson on the destruction of that inferior vermin, I didn't even have to get my hands dirty."

Cornelius nodded at the thought.

"Now, ready the basin." said Mathias as he stepped toward the large black marble desk in his office. "It's time to bring Severus...home."

Cornelius nodded and did what was asked of him. Mathias focused on the task at hand. His obsidian eyes glowed with anticipation as he loomed over a rather large silver goblet with the depth of a pensive. His smile widened as he reached for the knife that had been sitting neatly on the nearby pedestal. It was a fine looking blade sharper than anything one would find in a muggle kitchen and decadent beyond belief. He carefully unsheathed the ceremonial blade and brought it to his palm as he stood over the silvery goblet like container.

"At last." said Mathias triumphantly. "The next stage of my plan."

He spoke an incantation and slip the flesh of his pale palm open. The crimson drops of blood pooled into the slit palm of his hand as he held it over the goblet like container. Strange liquid swirled inside it rapidly changing colors from a frothy green to a dark crimson color in reaction to the drops of blood.

"Show me...my grandson." said Mathias into the goblet-like container.

The liquid swirled and pooled mixing in with his blood and then a mirror like image was formed and Mathias used it to see into the wizarding world. Due to his blood being apart of the mixture it was able to zero in on the other remaining Prince in existence. Mathias smiled once again as he set his obsidian eyes on Dumbledore Manor.

"Of course." he said. "Only The Headmaster of Hogwarts would have the gall to hide him in plain sight."

"I-I take it you've found him my lord." said Cornelius.

"Indeed." replied Mathias. "He's being hidden at old Dumbledore manor."

"Isn't that family cursed?" asked Cornelius. "Most of them are dead and there are no others in their line for the future."

"That is because one is taken with goats and the other should have died at the Astronomy tower in Hogwarts five years ago." said Mathias not at all impressed by either of the Dumbledore brothers. "Alas, the have their uses."

"Like keeping Severus safe until you come for him." said Cornelius.

Mathias glared at his servant. The agreed with his statement.

"I suppose you are right about that." he conceded. "Still, They are inferior and lack the backbone necessary to stand by their true beliefs...that Muggles and Half-Breeds have no business in our world."

Cornelius said nothing as Mathias moved away from the goblet like container and stepped out of his study. He now knew where Severus was being kept and all that he needed to do was acquire him in a bid to complete the next phase of his plan. One way or another he was going to have The Wizengamot and Severus in the palm of his hands and from there he would craft a new dynasty and proceed to reshape the wizarding world how he saw fit. As far as he was concerned there was nothing and no one that could stop him. Unlike Voldemort, he had no fear of Harry James Potter. The boy turned man was of no consequence to him.

And neither were his "little" friends.

He had implemented the blood tracer and it was only a matter of choosing when he would reach out and pluck his unsuspecting grandson Severus Snape from the Dumbledore brother's grasp.


	37. Chapter 36: Snape's Whore

**Chapter 36:** _ **Snape's Whore**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's an update...}**_

 _ **{"My lover's got humor...She's the giggle at a funeral...Knows everybody's disapproval...I should've worshiped her sooner...If the Heavens ever did speak...She is the last true mouthpiece...Every Sunday's getting more bleak...A fresh poison each week...'We were born sick, ' you heard them say it...My church offers no absolutes...She tells me 'worship in the bedroom'...The only heaven I'll be sent to...Is when I'm alone with you..."} Take Me To Church, Hozier**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Sitting Room,Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **S**_ everus had not taken his dark eyes off the bushy haired witch since he followed her into the sitting room. She had been avoiding his questions since breakfast that morning. He was determined to find the answers to them and relentlessly hounded her. Hermione sat on the sofa like she had so many times before since arriving at this place that was the home of Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore. His obsidian eyes seemed to be probing for a weak spot so that he could attempt to enter her mind. This time Hermione had her defensive guards up. She had not been so sure she wanted Snape to find out that she had feelings for him. He had not liked the idea of anyone feeling anything for him outside of contempt. His mistrust of anyone who had attempted to "care" about him was mostly due to them only approaching him if they wanted something. The dour wizard wasn't too sure what Hermione wanted from him outside of the bedroom and emotional connections were not his strong suite.

"Why do you care so much?" he asked. "It's not like I've been bedding you when Potter went on his rampage."

"Severus." said Hermione. "Why must everything be such an insult to you."

"Because, it usually is." said Snape bitterly. "I prefer the knife I am stabbed with to be coming directly not misdirected when I turn my back."

"You insufferable, paranoid git." said Hermione annoyed. "I didn't want you to die...I already told you that."

"There is more to it." he said. "There has to be."

He attempted to get into her mind again. Hermione blocked him.

"Must you be such a brute?" asked the bushy haired witch.

"Give me the answer to my question or I will pluck it from your memories on my own." he demanded.

"No." said Hermione defiantly.

Again Snape attempted to invade her mind.

This time Hermione countered. Either it had not been in a way Snape expected or his defenses had been weakened somehow. Because instead of him invading her mind, she found herself free falling into his faster than he could clamp it shut. The bushy haired witch found herself viewing the day Harry was to be taken to the Burrows to get away from Voldemort's forces. Mad Eye Moody had instructed everyone of age to take the Polyjuice potion to become the boy who lived in an effort to keep The death eaters off Harry long enough for him to reach safety.

She had been stunned to note that Severus had been the death eater in pursuit of Harry and Hagrid and that he had saved them both from several others during their flight. It had become so clear to the young witch that Harry Potter would not have survived that day if it had not been for Snape's interference. What was worse had been what occurred after the dour wizard assisted Harry and Hagrid that had the witch break down in tears.

 _{ Everything had been moving faster than Severus had expected. He knew the attack would be soon but due to his outsider status he could not warn the order. He had hoped they would be smart enough to get the Dursleys to safety before hand or there would be yet another fine miss he would find himself in. This time with Lily's older sister._

 _The dour wizard had not seen Petunia since they were all children and her husband's nasty reputation for hurting Harry Potter in minor but still significantly effective ways had been all over the wizarding world by now._

 _Snape moved quickly his identity shielded by his mask as he followed young Harry James Potter and Hagrid. The dour wizard knew all too well that Hagrid would be the one entrusted to escort young Harry Potter to the next safe house. There was also common knowledge for Severus that Mad Eye Moody had been much too predictable when it came to what he deemed to be his protection job. Since the incident in Potter's fourth year, Moody had become increasingly paranoid and frequently with held in formation whenever Snape had been around._

 _After Dumbledore's "death" Moody had been the Auror who had gone after Snape at Spinner's End. It took a good deal of self control not to kill the stupid brute, especially since they had such a deep personal history._

 _Snape escaped and made it back to Malfoy Manor where Narcissa and Draco took care of him. He had been badly injured in the fight with Moody and had no where else to go. He couldn't really fault the one eyed buzzard, he was simply doing his job but truth be told...Snape was doing his job as well._

 _From beneath the white mask, Snape could see both Harry and Hagrid. He had been the first death eater on the scene. Lucky for them. The Potions Master had wanted them to hurry and get a move on before they were spotted by anyone else. He fired a few warning shots meant to be stinging hexes._

 _Harry did a good job of deflecting them. Harid increased their speed and the bike sipped through the tunnel. There was a moment when The boy had fallen out of his seat but he made good use of the bus and it all turned out well. Snape had to admit that he was at least a little impressed by the boy's fancy footwork when he ran along the top of the bus._

 _When they got out of the tunnel Snape sensed Voldemort. He zeroed in on Harry via their connection. Try as he might there was nothing more Snape could do for the boy and Hagrid without giving himself away to both sides. He stayed back a safe enough distance and allowed them to continue on with Voldemort chasing them. Harry defended himself and Hagrid valiantly. Unbeknownst to Snape he was able to fend off Voldemort and reach the Weasley residence quickly._

 _When Snape got back to Malfoy Manor Voldemort decided to let all of his followers know the extent of his rage at losing Harry Potter yet again._

 _"I WILL NOT TOLERATE FAILURE!" shouted the dark lord as he glared at each and every one of his followers._

 _Snape and Lucius had been called into a separate room and tortured in a bid to keep the lower levels from believing they had any merit. Lucius could barely walk by the time Voldemort had finished with him. Then the despot turned his attention to Snape who had been the last to feel his wrath._

 _The dour wizard dropped to his knees the instant the curse hit him._

 _"I will not tolerate failure." said the dark lord again. "Especially, not from someone as sufficient as you."_

 _"ai aposlogahs, Bana fraeslis." hissed Snape in parseltongue. {"I apologize, Cold Friend."}_

 _With a flick of his wand, Voldemort had stripped Snape bare and chained him from the wrists and ankles. The Potions Professor knew what was coming and resolved himself to just take the pain and worry about the damage later. The despot had given him the courtesy of no one witnessing him take his frustrations out on him._

 _The first sting of the magical whip from Lucius Malfoy's wand had hurt but Snape didn't let it show. It would not have done any good anyhow. Voldemort wanted him strong enough to take punishment but humble enough that he would never dare to cross him. The second sting came and Snape had gotten his mind use to the pain. Hermione watched as Snape took strike after strike barely letting out a single sound. The pale flesh of his back ripped open from a series of gashes from the whip._

 _She continued to watch as his body sagged from the weight of the blows as Voldemort's fury dissipated he stopped finally after 6 hours. Snape had been weak from both the pain and blood loss. He had been quite enraged and had asserted too much of his power. Everything went black and the next thing Snape knew he had been in a strange bed unable to move much of his body. The despot called in Narcissa Malfoy to take care of him. The last thing Snape recalled before everything faded was The dark lord's hiss in his ears._

 _"Kura ans, Bana ans, snart ans a~e praughs." said Voldemort. {"Black one, cold one, smart one, be proud."}_

Snape ejected the witch from his mind and noted the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

"Y-You should not have seen that." he said unsure of how she would react.

Hermione said nothing as she got up off the sofa and made her way over toward him. Before Snape knew it she had her soft pink lips pressed against his pale ones and he pulled her closer. When the kiss ended her amber eyes met his obsidian ones and she began to project the images into his mind that he had wanted to see since she arrived at his side back at Azkaban.

 _{ Severus Snape found himself traveling with Hermione as she ventured from a local market toward her rundown apartment in Gotts street. She had seemed to be more or less her normal self but by this time Snape noted the slight air of sadness about her as she headed home. In the dark of the night a man approached her. He had looked the type of shady character one would find in Knockturn alley._

 _Snape arched an eyebrow at this. The dour wizard could tell by the way the man was acting this was not a particularly fond memory for Hermione._

 _The bushy haired witch in question had not seemed too put off by his presence. She was after all a war veteran and skilled with a wand. She had just reached the end of Clareson the street before her own on Gotts when she was suddenly surrounded by Three very angry looking men with vicious smirks on their faces._

 _"In a hurry to get your murderer boyfriend out of Azkaban?" asked one of them._

 _"I-I beg your pardon." said Hermione tightening her grip on her wand._

 _"You heard him." said the second man glaring at her._

 _"Everyone knows your Snape's whore." said the third man said glaring as well. "Why else would you want Dumbledore's killer to go free?"_

 _"Professor Snape is not responsible for Dumbledore's death." said Hermione. "Harry was mistaken about him and I have never had anything but a respectable teacher-student relationship with The Potions Master."_

 _"Snape's whore seems to think we're all dense." said the first man. "Nobody would defend that treacherous sack of cow dung before why all the sudden interest in him now?"_

 _"It's because she's shagging him." said the second man with his dark eyes glinting. "Not even Snape can afford to turn down young trim."_

 _"Nobody is shagging anybody." said Hermione in her own defense. "I simply wish to see Professor Snape freed because he is the reason we won the war against Voldemort."_

 _The sinister looking men laughed at this._

 _"Oh please, the next she'll be saying he's a saint." said the third man._

 _"Can you believe this cunt?" said the second man with a grin. "She'll say or do anything just to free her boyfriend."_

 _The first man advanced and Hermione drew her wand dropping her groceries in the process._

 _"I-I think you gentlemen should move along now." she said in a warning tone._

 _"Snape's little whore seems upset that we're laughing at her boyfriend." said the first man. "Perhaps, if she had been properly seen to she'd be more agreeable with our point of view."_

 _"I was thinking the same thing." said the second man._

 _They all continued to advance toward her._

 _"Expelliamus!" shouted Hermione knocking them back and running toward her rundown apartment._

 _They scrambled to their feet and gave chase._

 _"Expelliamus!" shouted Hermione knocking them back once again._

 _It had been just enough for her to make it home, sadly she had been minus her groceries. It was weeks before she could even think about going outside again but she willed herself to do it and even attended the hearing in a bid to get Snape an appeal. Despite her efforts it had been denied but she still kept trying. She knew the man was innocent and she couldn't just leave him there.)_

Tears continued to fall down Hermione's cheeks. Snape had not known what to say to her after seeing some of what she had went through just to save him. He had not felt that anything he had done in the past was worthy of the young witch's devotion. She seemed to feel otherwise. Going so far as to ignore a near rape in a bid to get him freed from Azkaban.

Snape wiped her tears away with his pale fingers lifted her chin with a single pale index finger until her amber eyes met his obsidian ones once more.

"Why?" he asked in a soft tone.

"B-Because you didn't deserve to be there." said Hermione. "You saved Harry...you saved all of us...and you've been through so much for everyone just for them to treat you this way."

"I've been hated my whole life Hermione." said Snape. "I've known nothing else for quite some time."

"T-The Malfoys don't hate you." said Hermione wiping away her own tears.

"The were the only family I had for a time." replied Snape. "Then Potter made it so that if they come within an inch of me everything they have would be destroyed."

"T-They turned their backs on you?" she asked.

"They had no choice." said Snape surprisingly more understanding than Hermione would be in his position, especially since his actions saved Draco Malfoy from being either killed or sentenced to Azkaban himself. "Lucius was barely holding together after his stint in Azkaban and the dark lord's reign of terror at his manor and Draco was shattered after what happened to Dumbledore and Charity Burbage...Narcissa was simply trying to keep her family from falling apart...I do not fault them...Potter gave them no choice...I know all too well what having no choice in one's actions can lead to."

Hermione sighed.

Snape stroked her tear stained cheek with a pale hand.

"You're no whore." he said. "I apologize that those idiots saw fit to call you such a thing."

Hermione took a turn at stroking his sallow pale cheek

"I am sorry that Harry hated you." she said. "He can be an unreasonable prick sometimes."

"Do not apologize for Potter." said Snape suddenly annoyed. "I care nothing for his inability to see reason witch, it is you that I care for."

Hermione found herself caught off guard by his admission.

"Y-You care for me?" she asked unsure if she heard him right.

Snape said nothing in reply but Hermione found herself pulled into a heated kiss. The bushy haired witch found herself wrapping her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer. He lifted her up and she wrapped her slender legs around his waist. The Potions Master carried the bushy haired witch toward his bedroom. They knew nothing of the danger looming on the horizon or the plans of a very sinister older wizard in the works.


	38. Chapter 37:Transgressions Of The Broken

**Chapter 37:** _ **Transgressions Of The Broken**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's an update...}**_

 _ **{"A Sinister Kid...Is A Kid Who...Runs To Meet The Maker...A Drop Dead Sprint From The Day He's Born...Straight Into His Maker's Arms...That's Me...That's Me...The Boy With The Broken Halo...That's Me...That's Me...The Devil Won't Let Me Be..."} Sinister Kid, The Black Keys**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **Warning: Sexual content**_

 _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Wizarding World, Scotland..._

 _ **H**_ ogwarts had not been the same since the events of the second wizarding war. A lot of the damage from the battle of Hogwarts had still affected the students who had been attending during the time of the war and how the school was run. Minerva McGonagall had done her best to ease everyone into the post war transitional period but it was always lingering somewhere in the backs of their minds. She had been more shocked than anyone when Harry had told her all those years ago that Severus had murdered Albus on the astronomy tower. The dour wizard had been like a son to her from the moment he was added to the faculty. She recalled running into the little hell raiser a time or two when he was a student. He was a sad sort of boy and prone to all types of "accidents" then.

Minerva had experienced quite the shock of her life when Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore came strolling into the Headmaster's office as if he had never left it with Fawkes fluttering about in his cage. She drew her wand on the sudden impostor but found that he was without a shadow of a doubt the real Albus Dumbledore. As glad as she was to see her old friend alive and certainly well. She felt an ocean of guilt swell up to the surface as she recalled Snape's trial for his murder and how she had run the lonely young wizard out of Hogwarts and into the death eater's hands believing he had indeed murdered his employer.

The sadness in his obsidian eyes as he parted Hogwarts for what would have been the last time if Voldemort had not launched an all out attack on the school. As Headmaster Snape set the defenses in motion keeping many of the Staff members and students out of harms way at the time. Minerva had been acting Headmistress so it was generally assumed she had activated Hogwarts' defense system.

She also recalled Severus effectively eliminating the Carrows as he took his leave so that Hogwarts could be in the hands of it's rightful keepers and out of death eater clutches. It saddened everyone to find out that Severus had done all this right under their noses and his thanks for keeping them all safe had been a one way ticket to Azkaban.

Dumbledore explained that Snape had been in relative danger and Minerva immediately told him to bring Severus home to Hogwarts. When The Headmaster told her that Severus no longer wanted to teach nor did he want anything more to do with Hogwarts it saddened the older witch. He had not forgotten how he was treated by any of them and wanted nothing more than to keep his distance. He would be sorely missed around the school. He had been a legendary Professor and a highly qualified Potions Master.

 _Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts..._

Now Minerva McGonagall found herself looking into the faces of Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, Harry James Potter, and Ronald Bilius Weasley. Lucius of course, had looked like the war had taken quite the toll on him. It was clear that he had seen better days. Harry didn't look to have been getting much sleep. It was just as well given the outrageous coup he lead against Severus so many times that even Minerva distanced herself from the celebrated Hero of the wizarding world's antics long before Dumbledore's return.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir we need to know where Hermione and Professor Snape are." said Harry seemingly desperate.

"Never mind all that, I need to find Severus before Mathias does." said Lucius irate as he glared at Harry Potter.

Dumbledore looked at the ailing Malfoy and sighed. If there was ever a former student that harbored such a deep resentment toward him it was Lucius Malfoy. He had never forgiven the old man for his treatment both Slytherin House and Severus.

"Lucius my boy it is a pleasure to see you." said Dumbledore ignoring both of them.

"I am not your boy old man." replied Lucius still irate. "I would not have stepped foot in this _Merlin_ forsaken institution if my little brother did not need my help."

Dumbledore simply smiled at him pleasantly.

"You have always cared a great deal for Severus." he said.

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"Someone had to look out for the boy when your selective teaching came into play." he said bitterly.

"Yet you did not stand by him when he needed you most at his trial." said Dumbledore confused.

"That..said Lucius with bitterness and hate behind it. "Is thanks to your precious Potter, blackmailing my family in your name to keep us from assisting him."

Harry looked down at his feet still very much ashamed of his past actions.

"Harry?" asked Dumbledore in disbelief.

"I-I thought he killed you." said Harry saddened. "I didn't want them helping him get away."

"We are his only family you conceded prat!" said Lucius with his rage boiling over. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE IN THAT HELL HOLE! AND YOU'D BETTER PRAY TO MERLIN THAT YOU NEVER DO."

Harry blinked as Ron sort of cringed in the wake of Lucius' wrath.

"That is not necessary Lucius." said Dumbledore. "The boy is quite remorseful."

"Is he?" asked Lucius calming him self. "Somehow, I don't see it...enough about your precious Potter...I demand to see my brother!"

Dumbledore sighed.

"And what of you Mr. Weasley?" he asked turning his attention to Ron.

"I-I'm here to help." replied the red head wizard.

"Really?" asked Dumbledore not taking his twinkling blue eyes off the younger wizard.

"A-And to see Hermione." he added truthfully.

Dumbledore gave him a sad smile.

"I'm afraid Miss Granger might not be thrilled to see you Mr. Weasley nor you Harry." he said addressing both boys.

"We know." said Harry. "It's just...well we want to apologize...I want to apologize to both of them."

Dumbledore nodded.

"I'll see what I can do." he said getting up from his seat.

 _Snape's Bedroom, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Both Snape and Hermione had been more or less occupied in terms of time. The dour wizard's pale body flexed and his eyes had been locked on the young witch writhing beneath him in complete concentration. Her slender legs had been wrapped around his lean frame as he continued to thrust into her. The recent admission of feelings for each other had been what propelled this encounter. Hermione let out a series of soft moans as she took what Snape dished out in terms of power.

"Severus." she said losing herself in the sensations he was creating.

The dour wizard captured her soft pink lips in a heated kiss after heated kiss. Her fingernails had been lodged into the pale flesh of his back and had no real affect on him as he continued to thrust into the willing witch. On occasion she could provoke a low feral growl from him if she flexed her inner muscles. It only served to make him more brutal in terms of pace.

The headboard beat against the nearby wall repeatedly. The crips white sheets had been ruffled and nearly hanging off the bed along with the large comforter. Their actions had sent various pillows sailing to the hard wood floor below as well. The heat from their engaged bodies made the room appear to be stifling.

Hermione closed her eyes unable to keep them open with the intensity of their encounter baring down on them. Tears streamed down her supple cheeks as Snape continued to bed her. She thought back to all those years he had spent alone locked in the prison of Azkaban. She let her fingers travel down his pale back running across the many scars that lined his flesh.

She noted that Snape had been a very silent lover with occasional grunts and groans but not much else. His strength had surprised her given his lean form and his massive size had been unexpected as well when she first saw him naked it blew all her previous misconceptions about him away. He continued on at the same steady pace.

"Severus." said Hermione unable to keep from calling out to him as he flooded her body with pleasure beyond her wildest dreams.

Neither of them had known anything had been brewing outside the walls of his bedroom and the sensual embrace that they found themselves locked in. It had been quite a while since they had any visitors and Aberforth restricted himself to only bringing food. In the wake of the Dumbledore brothers' absence it was easy to forget about silencing charms and locking wards. Not that either Snape or Hermione cared wither or not they would have any visitors.

 _The Sitting Room, Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World..._

Albus Dumbledore stepped through the floo. He had been accompanied by Lucius Malfoy, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley. The four wizards made their way into the sitting room. Lucius had been put off by the seemingly ancient decor. Harry and Ron had simple stared at the place in wonder. Dumbledore explained to the three of them that this house is where Snape had stashed him during the remaining days of the second wizarding war.

"Not a bad hide out." said Ron looking around. "Suppose Snape and Hermione found some use for all the books."

Lucius had even agreed that Snape would no doubt have taken advantage of the books. The blond albino wizard detected a familiar sound that put a smile on his now usually ghastly face. Of course neither Dumbledore nor Potter and Weasley had heard it. They were not accustomed to very many pleasurable things in life. Things like the sound of a young woman's moans when she was in the throes of passion went by the lessers of society due to the lack of experience.

"Where did you say Severus and Miss Granger were?" asked Lucius with a mischievous grin. "I believe Potter and Weasley wish to apologize."

"They each have a temporary bedroom." said Dumbledore happy to play host. "I think that they have learned to get along quite well in the past few weeks despite their minor differences...Severus had not cared too much for the idea of sharing a house with Miss Granger."

"One might think Hermione would not want to share a house with the dungeon bat." said Ron.

Lucius smiled and slowly parted from the group. _This was going to be quite the reunion for the little Golden Trio of Gryffindor._ He made his way down the hall while Dumbledore went into tour mode for Harry and Ron.

The sounds got louder as Lucius neared what appeared to be Snape's bedroom.

The mischievous albino blond wizard twisted the bronze knob, pushed the door open slightly and peered inside. His gray eyes came upon the familiar sight of Severus Snape driving into a witch for all he was worth and Lucius didn't even have to guess just who the lucky witch had been. There was no sign of Hermione Granger since they entered the house. All those who know of her well knew that if she would be in any place it was the sitting room surrounded by the vast number of books with her nose in one or two.

Lucius smiled proudly. Apparently, a five year stint in Azkaban did little to dampen his little brother's sexual appetite...in all truth it possibly made the dour one insatiable. The senior Malfoy thought carefully at the possibility of sweet revenge and then stepped into the shadows when he heard Dumbledore, Potter and Weasley making their way toward the rooms.

"Severus has not been himself as of late." explained Dumbledore. "Miss Granger, has been taking excellent care of him..."

"Indeed she has." said Lucius stepping from the shadows. "One might be curious as to how well in your case Weasley."

Ron narrowed his eyes at Lucius.

"What are you saying Malfoy?" he asked suddenly enraged.

At that moment repetitive moans filled the hall causing Lucius to smirk as Ron charged through the door where the sounds seemed to be coming from. Both he and Harry had been stunned when they happened upon Severus Snape and Hermione Granger intertwined amid the crisp bed sheets. Snape had heard them in the halls and true to Slytherin fashion made Hermione moan loudly on purpose to get their attention. It seemed more fitting a revenge than possibly harming either of them.

Dumbledore stood with his blue eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't utter a single word as they continued to move unaffected by the presence of guests. Harry looked down at his feet fearing Snape's wrath more than ever. He had been the one who had driven Hermione to this. Calling her Snape's whore and having the entire wizarding world turn their backs on her because she wanted to do the right thing by Snape. It seemed understandable to him that both Snape and Hermione would seek comfort in each other given all they went through. Ron how ever was not so understanding of the situation. He still held out hope that he could win the brilliant witch back.

"Y-YOU GREASY GIT!" shouted Ron enraged. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY GIRL!"

Lucius laughed from the hall.

"Weasley I think Severus has more than his hands on her." he chimed. "Not to mention his cock in her."

"Not helping Lucius." said Harry baffled by the sight.

"Who said that I was attempting to?" asked Lucius. "Severus good to see you little brother in rare form."

Snape did not stop his pace but spoke a spell that ejected everyone from the room. Lucius dusted himself off and laughed at the pitiful looks on Ron and Harry's faces. Dumbledore didn't say a word but made himself scarce as he stepped back through the floo to Hogwarts to collect himself. He had just received the shock of his life so no one blamed him for not wanting to stick around.

After another hour or so Both Snape and Hermione ventured into the sitting room where a remorseful Harry Potter, a furious Ron Weasley and a giddy but still rather sickly Lucius Malfoy awaited them. Snape had been dressed in only his worn black trousers. His pale feet were bare and he didn't seem all that thrilled to have company, aside from Lucius that was. Hermione had been fully dressed and still reeling from their encounter. Her trademark bushy hair had been a mess but she looked relatively neutral as she entered the sitting room.

Hermione ignored Harry and Ron entirely and sat with Severus on the sofa. When she sat on his lap Ron glared at her furious. She had not a care in the world as she looked over at a grinning Lucius.

"Miss Granger." he said pleasantly. "Always a pleasure."

"Good evening Lucius." she said polite. "You look rather well."

"I try." said Lucius. "And You look pretty pleased with yourself Severus no doubt you are."

"Indeed, Lucius." replied Snape. "Immensely."

His obsidian eyes flickering with mischief as he glanced at Harry who had the most pitiful look on his face and Ron who was fuming as he glared back at him.

"What brings you by?" asked Hermione taking Severus' hand into her own and running her fingers freely across his pale flesh.

"All jokes aside Little brother I'm afraid you are in danger." said Lucius serious.

"Tell me something I don't know." replied Snape. "People have been trying to kill me for years."

"Quite true but this someone is none other than Mathias Prince." explained Lucius.

"Mathias Prince?" asked Snape confused.

"Your dearly departed mother's father." replied Lucius.

Snape's obsidian eyes widened.

"I-I have a living relative?" he asked. "Have the Prince family not all died out?"

"Apparently, not." replied Lucius. "It seems your long lost grandfather has designs upon you."

"Is there some way we can reason with him?" asked Hermione.

"No." replied Harry jumping into the conversation. "I-I'm afraid he won't hear any of it."

Hermione cut her amber eyes in his direction.

"Why are you here, Harry Potter?" she asked bitterly. "Didn't you want Severus dead?"

Harry shook his head.

"Hermione...I didn't know..." he started then corrected himself. "There is no excuse for what I've done or the way that I have treated you both in the past, but I wish to help in any way that I can...I know what I did was wrong and I don't expect your forgiveness but I am truly sorry for what I've done to both of you."

Snape paid no attention to Harry and simply looked at Lucius as if his words were merely a buzzing of a fly on a nearby wall.

"You were saying?" he asked.

"I was saying that we need to get you to safely before..." started Lucius.

There was a rumbling that made everyone get to their feet.

"Shit." said Lucius gripping his wand. "He's here."

Harry and Ron gripped their wands. Hermione summoned both hers and Severus'. They each held a firm grip on their respective wands as well.

"Everyone get ready for combat." instructed Lucius. "Mathias is not a kind wizard...he makes The dark lord look like muggle Santa Claus."

Ron's eyes widened and all the rage he felt at witnessing Hermione and Snape in bed together dissipated. This guy sounded like all kinds of trouble. Harry had been determined to prove to both Severus and Hermione that he had changed and would defend the dour wizard with his very life if need be.

"Stay close to me." Snape instructed Hermione.

"I will." she replied.

Severus heard the sound of faint hissing and then suddenly he was thrown into a nearby wall. The other's scrambled to get a look at their attacker. A cloud of smoke filled the sitting room and something put a damper on their magic.

"What the hell?" asked Lucius as he found he was unable to fire a single spell from his wand.

"Severus." said a commanding voice from within the very walls of the old house.

Harry looked at Ron.

"The floo." he said. "We've got to reach Dumbledore."

The red head nodded and made his way toward the fire place.

Hermione held Snape's hand as he pulled her a safe distance from where the blast came from after scrambling to his feet.

"Are you alright?" she asked concerned.

"I'll live." he replied.

Suddenly something crashed through the window then another and another. Before everyone knew it they were surrounded by strange men wearing all black with serious faces and the Prince family crest on their chest.

Lucius found himself locked in physical combat with one of them and due to his lack of good health he proved to be no match for them without his magic. The albino blond was tossed through a nearby wall and out cold. His last words to them were not to let them get their hands on Severus.

Harry had been combating two of the strange men at a time. They seemed quite fast and utterly ruthless. Ron kept trying the floo but was knocked unconscious by the one strange man that caught him off guard.

Hermione gripped Severus' hand tighter as he moved with her through the house. The two of them had the advantage of knowing where to go and when to hide in this vast place after having spent so much time there. The bushy haired witch had not known what to think as the strange men seemed to be faster and stronger than everyone who had come to help. She doubted that even Severus could combat them.

The hissing returned and Snape looked around confused.

"Are you sure you are okay?" asked Hermione still concerned.

"I-I'm fine." replied Snape. "Stay out of their line of sight...and keep your head down."

"You're not leaving me." said Hermione flat out.

"Hermione I cannot take the chance of these strange men getting their hands on you." he replied. "If this crazed loon is indeed my grandfather and he wants me dead imagine what he will do to a Muggle-Born witch like you."

"I don't care." replied Hermione defiant. "I go where you go."

"That's not an option." replied Snape.

Two of the strange men attacked.

Snape fought them off with strength and speed that surprised both of them and Hermione combined.

"Where did you learn to do that ?" she asked astonished.

"I wasn't always a wizard Hermione." he replied. "But I was always bullied at school."

Two more men attacked.

Snape put them down as well. After being at Hogwarts during the reign of the Marauders, Snape learned quickly how to defend himself when someone wanted to gang up on him.

"Keep your head down." said Snape flipping one of the men over a his head.

Hermione had ducked just in time to avoid being struck by him.

Broken glass and furniture had littered the sitting room. It had been a sight worse than when Snape had terrorized the room in his animagus form. Hermione narrowly avoided a rushing attacker and showed off some defensive moves of her own. Snape had seemed impressed when she kicked the would be attacker into a nearby wall.

Harry Potter had been unlucky enough to get thrown through a wall and had been out cold as well. Leaving only Severus and Hermione to fend off the strange men that invaded Dumbledore's house.

" _Expeliamus_!" shouted the booming deep voice of Mathias Prince.

Snape suddenly flew into a nearby wall as well but he retained consciousness.

Hermione rushed over to him unsure of what to make of the strange older wizard that stepped from the shadows.

" _Volans Ropa_!" shouted Mathias as rope came flying from his wand.

"Watch out!" shouted Snape.

She heard his warning too late as she found herself ensnared by the rope and unable to move.

Snape got to his feet fuming at his so-called grandfather.

" _Flagellum Vitis_!" shouted Mathias holding the wand out boldly.

Snape dodged the reach of a vicious green vine as it whipped at him.

" _Serpens Pila_!" shouted Mathias turning the vines into a ball of serpents that snapped at Severus as he avoided them.

Hermione screamed when she saw them hissing and striking at him.

Mathias seemed pleased with the amount of terror he could stir in the young witch.

"So." he said in a booming voice. "You like sticking your cock in _Mud-bloods_ do you grandson?"

Snape continued to avoid the snakes and glared at the Elder Prince.

He willed his magic into his finger tips and focused on the snakes.

" _Igitur evanescunt_." he said still focused on the slithering ball on the floor.

The snakes disappeared.

" _Frigidus in tempore!"_ shouted Mathias annoyed that he had managed to get passed the snakes with wandless magic. " _Levicorpus!"_

Hermione watched helplessly from the frozen time spell as Snape was turned upside down by his own spell once again since it's creation. His grandfather approached him with an arrogant smirk. It was eerie just how much Snape behaved like the sinister old wizard.

"It seems that I have you by the short hairs grandson." said Mathias. "I really must thank Mr. Potter if it had not been for his relentless persecution of you I would never have been able to acquire all the power in the Wizengamot and now I have you...the final piece to resurrect the legacy of the Prince clan."

"When I get out of here there will only be one Prince standing old man." said Snape glaring at him.

Mathias had been enraged by Snape's insolence. He flicked his wand and slashed Hermione with his magical whip.

"Punishment is wasted on the likes of you." said the older wizard. "But to put the damaged were it could be most effective...that is one of the most beneficial lessons one must learn."

Mathias whipped Hermione for every perceived insult Snape had given him since his arrival. She had been bleeding quite a bit and in a tremendous amount of pain. Snape lowered his defenses.

"Enough!" he said.

Mathias glared at him. His obsidian eyes giddy from the pain he had inflicted on a defenseless Hermione.

"She can't feel anything now but once my time spell ends..." he said gleeful.

"What do you wish of me...grandfather." said Snape holding back his bitterness.

"That's more like it." said Mathias pleased. "I trust that I don't need to seek out your _Mud-blood_ to ensure your future compliance?"

"That won't be necessary." replied Snape. "She was never mine to begin with...she belongs to Potter."

"Then why all the compliance on her behalf?" asked Mathias with an arched eyebrow.

"I've spent five years in Azkaban for what Potter believed to be a grievance towards him." replied Snape. "Do you really think I would want to provoke an actual one?"

Mathias chuckled some at this.

"No." he replied seeing the younger wizard's reasoning. "I suppose not..."

Snape took one last careful look at Hermione. She would most definitely feel the pain of those magical whippings but she would be alive and safe from Mathias at least. He had not doubted that she had heard what he said about her belonging to Harry Potter. It had only been a last minute bid to keep Mathias from hurting her further. He had hoped she would understand.

"Come." said Mathias looking at Snape and his henchmen. "Let us return home."

Snape stole another glance at Hermione. A low hiss filled his throat before he was take though the magical portal. The sound of his words had been in parseltongue and they reached both Hermione and Harry's ears as the time spell wore off.

" _Bana ans_ _hesleuf_ _snart ans_." {"Cold one help Smart one."} he hissed. " _snart ans a~e praughs." {Smart one be proud."}_

Hermione caught one last glimpse of them before they slipped through the magical portal. Snape's last hiss lingered in her ears.

 _"bana ans ein~e snart ans." {"Cold one have Smart one."}_ he said. _snart ans.. ~e...slifai...Ssnahpehss...bei∫ed." {_ "Smart one no leave Snape's bed."}

Harry scrambled to his feet as Hermione began to fall from the binding and the effects of the magical whip took hold. Her screams of pain had been enough to rouse Lucius and Ron who scrambled to his feet as well and rushed to her side. There was blood but she would make a full recovery with proper care.

"SEVERUS!" shouted Lucius searching the destroyed house for the dour wizard.

"T-They took him." Hermione managed through the pain.

"WHAT!?" shouted Lucius. "NO!"

"There was nothing we could do." said Harry. "He must have been tracking him."

Lucius growled, seized Harry by the collar, and threw him against a nearby wall. "AND WHO'S FAULT IS THAT!"

"We have to get to Dumbledore." said Hermione despite the pain. "Maybe he'll know where they took Severus."

"We could also use some medical attention." said Harry. "Mione's hurt pretty badly and you don't look so good yourself."

Lucius glared at Harry still furious but it would do no good to harm the younger wizard just yet. Perhaps he was still of some use.

"Let us go then." he said letting Harry's collar go and the young wizard slid to the floor below. "Now! There is no time to lose."

Hermione couldn't agree more. The sooner they got Severus back the sooner they could be rid of Mathias Prince.

Beaten and exhausted, everyone filed through the floo to Hogwarts. Hermione had just hoped Severus was okay. She understood from his message in parseltongue that he had not meant what he had said to Mathias. It was only in a bid to protect her from him did he say that she belonged to Harry.

 _Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts..._

The five of them made their way into Dumbledore's office where Lucius explained what happened and The Headmaster insisted they all seek medical care from Madam Poppy Pomfrey. The old wizard went through his records and made them available to Hermione and the others to aid in the search for Severus and Mathias Prince. Hermione had been reading non-stop desperate to find her dour wizard before his grandfather initiated his sinister plans for him.


	39. Chapter 38: Pit of Pain

**Chapter 38:** _ **Pit of Pain**_

 _ **{A/N: Getting a bit dark here}**_

 _ **{"The Boy With The Broken Halo...That's Me...That's Me...The Devil Won't Let Me Be..."} Sinister Kid, The Black Keys**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **Warning: Mild Torture**_

 _Unknown location, unknown area..._

 _ **P**_ ain had been the only familiar aspect of this strange place that Severus Snape found himself in. It had been dark and heat from the shooting aches went all through his body which had been crumpled upon the cold stone floor. Blood dripped from his various wounds and he barely had the strength to draw his next breath. He had no concept of time nor could he recall the last time he had eaten or drank anything aside from his own saliva which tasted of the bitter salty copper of his own blood. The attacks were relentless. No doubt designed to break him before Mathias could do what he wished to do to move his plans forward.

The _Pureblood_ Supremacist had been more ruthless than the dark lord had ever been when it came to his plans and given Snape's reputation as a spy for The Order and being instrumental for bringing down the despot, Mathias did not appear to be taking any chances. Snape had only been on the floor for a moment trying to catch his breath before he heard the maniac bellowed about stringing him up. Snape found himself chained much as always as from the wrists and dangled from the ceiling.

He knew what was coming long before he felt the sting of the magical whip across his pale back. Once again he had been a prisoner held against his will. The lack of response from his grandson only proved to enrage Mathias as he continued to beat him with the magical whip. More of Snape's pale flesh had been ripped open and left oozing blood. The pain had been all apart of the experience as Snape's shaken mind drifted off toward the abyss.

"First the pain then the pleasure." said Mathias echoing the words of Voldemort as he continued to punish Snape. "You must be cleansed of your weaknesses for Mud-bloods."

Snape's mind took him back to Hermione Granger.

Her slender frame and warm touch had been etched into his memory. He could almost hear her breathless moans ringing in his ears as he drifted back to her.

Another crack of the whip ripped his flesh but he had not felt it.

Then another hit him splitting more of his flesh. Still Snape had not felt it. His mind focused on the young Gryffindor witch that had shared his bed since his release for Azkaban.

Mathias grew irate at Snape's ability to take his mind off the torture which lessened the effect of the experience. Snape held on to the images of Hermione even still. Mathias continued to punish him effectively until he lost consciousness.

 _Sometime Later..._

Obsidian eyes sprang open when those of amber made themselves known in the banks of his memories. Silent tears streamed down his sallow pale cheeks as he recalled the bushy brown curls entangled around his long pale calloused fingers. Her soft cries filled his ears and he ached for her. He wished he had time to tell her how he truly felt. He supposed it would not do any good now.

 _Why do we do this? Why do we continue to fight when we know that it is futile? Wouldn't it be easier to just give them all what they want so badly...our death._

Amber eyes locked onto his obsidian ones.

 _"Because you don't deserve this." she said, her voice like a whisper in the wind._

"Hermione." he said in an even lower whisper. "Snart ans.."

She smiled at him a vision of rare beauty with her eyes bright and focused.

 _"Severus." she said in another whisper._

He knew he had to find the strength to bury his memories of the witch should Mathias ever get the notion as The Dark Lord frequently had to invade his already fractured mind. Severus held on to the images of the bushy haired Gryffindor witch as they had given him strength, much as they had before when he was locked away in Azkaban all those years ago.

Time seemed to be without an end as Mathias sought to break him. His only concept of it had been when the punishment ceased and he could have a moment to drift off with thoughts of an ambered eyed bushy haired witch. He had not told her how much he had appreiaced all that she had done for him. He knew life on the outside while he rotted away in Azkaban had not been easy for her. Given all that she endured due to Harry Potter it was amazing that she wasn't as cynical as he was by now.

 _Because you don't deserve this._

Her words echoed in his ears each time his blood was spilled at the hands of his maniac grandfather. He had not known why now, right when there was a fraction of a chance for him to move on and attempt to have a life this man would come for him. The dour wizard grew enraged at the thought of it all.

Why had he decided to come for him now, after all that he had endured. Then it all stopped. Snape found himself alone in the darkness of his new prison with not even one attempt to break him going by. He had not known how long it had been but he believed that Mathias had something far more sinister planned for him. Snape's mind drifted from the beautiful witch and back into the past. His last encounter with Mad-Eye to be more specific had been stamped into his memory banks. Despite all that he suffered at Mathias' hands it had been nothing compared to what he endured when Mad-Eye caught up to him.

 _{ Alastor Mad-Eye Moody's reputation for brutality when it came to those whom he deemed below the line of reproach had been legendary. Snape had barely had time to get his grip tightened on his wand before the old wizard set upon. The force of the steamed up Mad-Eye's blast had thrown him clear across his front lawn._

 _"I KNEW YOU WERE A WASTE OF SPACE SNAPE!" shouted the gruff Auror._

 _Snape scrambled to his feet. His chest burning as if he had just run a muggle marathon. He gripped his wand in his nearly numb long pale fingers._

 _"Always has to be you doesn't it Moody?" he asked in a bid to keep himself from shaking._

 _"YOU BET YOUR PALE ARSE IT'S ME SNAPE! shouted Mad-Eye in a gruff tone. "YOUR TIME HAS COME!"_

 _"I'm afraid, I can not let you kill me just yet old man." said Snape._

 _"Wither or not I kill you is not up for debate." said Moody. "It's no less than what you deserve after what you did to Albus."_

 _Before Snape could explain himself, he was hit by a barage of spells that sent him to the ground in agony. His body had been wracked with a agony that surprised even him. His obsidian eyes widened when he realized that Moody had cast an unforgivable curse on him._

 _"Suprised are we Snape?" asked the gruff Auror bitterly. "Imagine how everyone else felt when you murdered Albus after all he's done for you."_

 _Snape started to see double as he scrambed for his wand despite the pain. He knew that if Mad-Eye Moody killed him here then Harry Potter and Hogwarts were going to be in Voldemort's hands._

 _Mustering the last of his strength Snape gripped his wand._

 _"Expelliamus!" he shouted rising from the ground despite the tremors and pain._

 _He struck the old buzzard long enough to apparate to Malfoy Manor._

 _Snape landed on Lucius' front porch and blacked out as soon as he saw the Manor in sight. He crash landed into the hard marble finish and had not even recalled making it into the house._

 _When he came to Narcissa had been tending to him. Her dark eyes filled with relief and concern all at once. Snape had not been able to speak and his body had been weaker than he had believed possible given what he endured in the past. Sweat poured off him in waves but Narcissa did her best to keep him cool._

 _For his efforts he had been given a hero's feast courtesy of The Dark Lord and The Malfoys._

 _It had taken some time for Snape to adjust to all that had happened. When he recovered The Dark Lord saw fit to promote him. He was to become Headmaster of Hogwarts, just as Dumbledore had wished that he would once he earned the despots true favor and he would be in a better postion to look after the school, the staff, and the students. It was a good plan in theory. Thought the ramifications of it had been far reaching. }_

Now Snape had been lying on a cold stone floor with more battle scars to add to the collection he had amassed over the course of his young life. The last happy memory had been via Hermione Granger and it was one of the few he had left to cling to in the vast darkness of his newly aquired cell. He hoped the witch had been safe. She deserved that much if nothing else for her efforts with him. He had no doubt that Lucius would be furious about not being able to protect him. The Senior Malfoy had taken his sworn duty as his "Older brother" quite seriously.

One could hardly blame the man considering they met when Severus was but 11 years old and Lucius 16 going on 17.

 _{_ _An 11 year old Severus Snape had been sinking rather quickly into the bowels of the lake. He had not known how to swim and his lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. His robes like anchors weighing his pale thin form down as he tried to kick and claw his way out of the merky depths. The young raven haired boy had nearly lost conciousness when he suddenly felt the water shift above him. Fear and panic siezed him as he believed the squid had stirred and had been about to grab him. Comepletely frightened, young Severus closed his eyes as tight as he could. If it was indeed the squid he had not wanted to look at it. Something took hold of his robes and collar then he felt himself being pulled higher and higher._

 _Before he knew it his soaked pale skin felt the cooling sensation of open air and he took in a rather large breath coughing up the dirty water from the lake. Dazed and a bit confused Snape looked into the eyes of a handsome young wizard with lengthy blond hair and steel gray eyes._

 _"Are you alright kid?" asked the handsome young wizard._

 _Young Severus stammered a bit unsure of what to say given all that his happened. His lips trembled and he found himself shivering from the newly discovered cold. The handsome blond wizard smiled and lifted his wand. Young Severus had never seen anything like it. All black with somekind of silver snake's head plastered on the end._

 _The handsome blond wizard muttered a few quick spells and Severus found himself not only dry but well warmed. He sat up with the help of the young gray eyed wizard who seemed to be a bit more cheerful in his presense then what the raven haired boy was use to._

 _"You're not hurt are you?" asked The handsome blond._

 _"N-No." replied Severus nervously._

 _He had lacked the socal skills most seemed to have naturally by the time they reached his age. It didn't seem to put off the handsome wizard whom Severus realized was wearing his house colors._

 _"Y-You're in Slytherin?" he asked unable to keep from looking at the crest in the corner of the handsome blond wizard's robes._

 _"That's right." replied the gray eyed wizard. "As are you."_

 _He pointed to the crest on Severus' newly dried robes._

 _"I'm a prefect for Slytherin House." said the handsome albino blond. "Name's Lucius, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy."_

 _He extended his hand. Young Severus tentively extended his own and shook it._

 _"M-my name's S-Severus." said the boy softly. "Severus Snape."_

 _Lucius had not seemed to recognize his surname._

 _"Snape?" he asked intriged. "I can't seem to recall that name before Mr. Snape."_

 _"I-I'm not a pureblood." said young Severus expecting to hear something malicious and degrading about his Muggle surname._

 _He had resigned himself to weather the insults and mocking that would no doubt follow with any Slytherin in his path upon mention of his surname, but they never came._

 _"Well." said Lucius with a pleasant smile. "It's a pleausre to meet you none the less Severus Snape, you have the makings of a very fine Slytherin no matter what anyone says."_

 _Young Severus couldn't believe that a pureblood like Lucius Malfoy would even give him the time of day. Let alone approve of his Muggle heritage._

 _"T-Thank you for saving my life sir." said young Severus respectfully._

 _Lucius smiled and tussled the young Slytherin's lank raven hair._

 _"Call me Lucius." he said casually. "Little brother."_

 _Young Severus had not known what to make of being refered to as someone's little brother. He had been an only child as far as he knew and unwanted since his birth._

 _Lucius bid him farewell and Young Severus treated him to a rare smile. The young Slytherin turned his attention to collecting his scattered books and had been rather pleased to find them stacked neatly near a tree and intact. There was also an extra book he had not quite recognized but was eagar to read all the same. It turned out not to be such a bad day after all. }_

Little did Snape know that one afternoon would saddle him with the likes of Lucius Malfoy for much of his young life. The ailing wizard almost smiled at the memory of his old friend. He had no doubt that both Lucius Malfoy and Hermione Granger's combined efforts would be put to some use in retreaving him from his new prison. Lucius would burn the wizarding world to the ground if it meant saving him. He took his duties as "older brother" quite seriously.


	40. Chapter 39:A Spark Of Hope

**Chapter 39:** _ **A Spark Of Hope**_

 _ **{A/N: Slow Update Week, problems with internet right along with out of state family visit... this will be rectified soon...until then hopefully this would tide you over...A Thousand Pardons-S.S.}**_

 _ **{"I am the lover hater, I am an instigator, you are an oversight don't try and compromise...I love to love to hate it...I am not integrated...just call my name...you'll be okay your scream is burning through my veins...sooner or later you're gonna hate her...go ahead and throw your life away...} Sooner or Later, Breaking Benjamin**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Headmaster's Office,Hogwarts, Wizarding World, Scotland..._

 _ **L**_ ucius Abraxas Malfoy paced the floor of Albus Dumbledore's Headmaster office. His temper had been getting the better of him as he could just about imagine the horrors being inflicted on Severus at the hands of the deranged Mathias Prince. He had been so enraged that it was hard to recall that he was not in great health as he glared with icy gray eyes in the direction of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Both boys had been vastly incompetent when it came down to a real fight and Severus being taken only served to make them all even more out matched.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO LET HIM GET HIS HANDS ON MY BROTHER!" shouted an irate Lucius.

"There was nothing anyone could do." said Dumbledore coming to Harry's defense.

"Like hell there wasn't." said Lucius. "The brat could have simply left Severus alone and none of this would have happened."

Harry looked down at his feet agreeing wholeheartedly with Lucius' statement.

"I'm sorry." said Harry. "If I had known..."

Lucius seemed to become even more annoyed.

"Spare me your Gryffindor guilt bullshit Potter." he snapped. "You wanted to make Severus' life a living hell...well mission accomplished."

"Lay off Malfoy." said Ron coming to the defense of his friend.

Though the red head was rather in agreement that Harry should not have enlisted the help of Mathias Prince or gotten the original Prime Minister kicked out of his post, he defended his friend.

"Enough." said Hermione. "Standing around picking fights isn't going to help us find Severus."

"So it's Severus now, Hermione." said Ron glaring at the young witch. "Fitting since you two are passed being on first name basis."

Before Hermione could utter a retort, Lucius moved swiftly across the floor and had Ron hemmed up by his collar before he could blink.

"Watch your tongue Weasley." said Lucius in a dangerous tone. "My brother may not be here to teach you the proper way to address a lady but I will be more than happy to fill in for him."

"If Snape were here she'd be shagging him." said Ron un-phased as he glared at Hermione.

Professor McGonagall's eyes widened at his words.

"Mr. Weasley that is enough out of you." she said stunned.

"It's true McGonagall." said Ron. "Harry, and I saw them...shagging like mad rabbits...Dumbledore saw to."

The Headmaster's blue eyes fell onto his large desk. But it did nothing to stop the color that came into his cheeks.

Minerva looked at Hermione in disbelief.

The young Gryffindor witch sighed.

"Is this true Hermione?" asked Minerva. "Are you having relations with Severus?"

"Yes." admitted Hermione unashamed. "I don't see what the big deal is...I happen to like his company and he likes mine just as well."

She didn't dare tell anyone that it was much deeper than that. At least on her part. She could never be too sure about how Severus felt about her outside of the bedroom. He had been

"The man's barely out of Azkaban." said Minerva still in shock. "No doubt he's not had time to get his head on straight."

"Severus and I reached an understanding recently." said Hermione.

"I'd say you reached more than an understanding if what I saw was any indication." said Ron still with his eyes narrowed at Hermione.

"Enough." said Minerva. "We will deal with this when Severus is returned safely to Hogwarts where he belongs...and then I can wring his neck for his antics."

"Despite what you and Ron chose to believe, Severus did not force me to do anything." said Hermione. "I was with him because I wanted to be."

Minerva seemed to dismiss the last of her words and turned her attention to Dumbledore instead.

"Do we know how to find him?" she asked.

"Not yet but I am sure that with Lucius' help we will be able to locate him." replied Dumbledore.

"Good." replied the older witch.

Lucius let Ron fall to the floor and made his way back toward the other side of Dumbledore's desk.

Harry thought back to what he heard Snape say was he was being taken away.

"M-Mione...Snape speaks parseltongue?" he asked.

Hermione glared at Harry still very much enraged at all this being his fault.

"So it's Mione now is." she asked angrily. "What happened to Snape's whore?"

Her amber eyes reflecting all the rage and hurt that had been there on the very day he turned his back on her.

"I-I'm so sorry that I called you that." said Harry remorseful. "I should never have said those things to you...you were only trying to do what was right."

Hermione still wasn't having any of it. Harry had been the reason Severus was taken.

"Maybe." she said not wishing to give him a definite answer to his question.

Harry sighed sadly.

He knew he deserved more than a little cold treatment from his former best friend after the way he treated her.

"Hermione I...I know that you are upset with me and you have every right to be." said Harry. "I will submit to whatever you deem a necessary punishment for my actions but please...if you're going to hate me do so after we save Snape."

Hermione narrowed her amber eyes at The-Boy-Who-Lived.

"You'd better hope he's alright Harry Potter." she warned in a none too friendly tone.

"I do." replied Harry looking at his feet.

Lucius was about to speak when the doors of Dumbledore's office came open and a unnerved Draco Malfoy stood before them all a shell of his former self. He made his way over toward his father a frantic look on his face.

"I-Is it true?" he asked in a low voice. "Is Uncle missing?"

Hermione had been saddened to see Draco in such a sorry state.

The young Malfoy looked as malnourished as his father, his frame thin and frail looking. His eyes wide and filled with shadows about the eyes as if he had not gotten much sleep. His sleek blond hair lengthy and unkempt since he had stopped keeping it short. His clothes look to be worn and disheveled not at all the kind of attire Draco had as a student of Hogwarts but Harry's radical reforms and Draco's deteriorating mental state due to what he experienced in the war made him this way.

"Father." said Draco again. "Where is my Godfather?"

Hermione couldn't bare to see the look of absolute horror in Draco's eyes as if all the hope left in him had been riding on the answers as to where Severus had been.

"Draco..." Lucius began. "Severus has been taken...his grandfather..."

Draco pulled away from Lucius and glared at Harry Potter. His gray eyes shimmering with absolute hatred. This was all the self-righteous Gryffindor's doing. If he had not been so hellbent on destroying his Uncle Severus then none of this would have happened. No one was more surprised then Draco when he learned of Dumbledore's survival. He thought for sure his Uncle would be left alone after all that but it seemed like Potter wasn't ready to let go of his favorite pass-time, making Severus Snape's life a living hell.

"You." he said as fury long repressed had boiled to the surface.

"I-I'm sorry." said Harry in a defeated manner.

His green eyes devoid of all excitement or wonder.

Draco wouldn't hear of Potter's so called apology. He was much to furious as to the treatment his family and Uncle received at the hands of this ungrateful prat.

Without warning, Draco launched himself at Harry raining down hard blows on the celebrated wizard's person. It was clear that the younger Malfoy had had enough of Harry's policies and incredulous attitude. He lived with the guilty knowledge that his Godfather was suffering in Azkaban because of him, because he was too weak to kill Dumbledore and that if Severus Snape had died in that awful place it would be both because he chose to take his place and because Harry Potter was a vindictive sod.

Dumbledore got to his feet and with a wave of his hand magically separated the young wizards.

"That is ENOUGH!" said the Headmaster in a stern tone most unfamiliar to Harry's ears.

Draco only glared at Harry still with murder in his eyes. He may not have been able to kill Albus Dumbledore but he had more than enough hate in him to murder Harry Potter. Especially after what he did to his Uncle Severs.

"Draco." said Lucius in a calm and father-like tone. "Now is not the time...we must find Severus."

Draco continued to hold Harry Potter in his cold gray gaze.

"Yeah...and when we do find him...he'd better be breathing." he muttered in a dangerous tone.

Harry had never felt so threatened in all his life, not even when Voldemort wanted him dead. Draco Malfoy seemed to have become someone no one had recognized in the last five years. Gone was the young cocky boy of Slytherin house who's horrid jokes made one want to hex him into oblivion and who's constant muttering of his father hearing about what he deemed to be adverse treatment made him a nuance more than an advisory.

Here stood a war weary, enraged young man who's lust for life had all but been squeezed out of him by the brutish will of others and their heinous policies. Hermione's heart went out to The Malfoys. It was a known fact that she was one of the few people of merit that associated with them. Possibly due to her sympathetic stance in Severus' trial.

"We will find him Draco." said Hermione.

The junior Malfoy turned toward the bushy haired witch. His rage seeming to dissipate in an instant.

"Forgive me, Granger." he said making a show of controlling himself. "I have not been at my best for quite some time and all this business with my Godfather..."

"I understand." replied Hermione turning a heated glare toward Harry who slumped against a nearby wall. "I understand completely...but as Lucius said now is not the time...we must find Severus."

"Understood." said Draco collecting himself completely. "What's our first move?"

"You guys are not serious about bringing another Malfoy along?" Ron whined.

Hermione, Lucius and Draco all glared at him murderously.

Sensing he was about as second or two away from being hexed Ron decided to keep his mouth shut and stand next to Harry.

Lucius took a moment to gather his thoughts. There had to be some way to find Severus. He just had to...

"I believe I know how we can reach him." said Lucius turning to Hermione and Draco as if the others were not in the room at all.

"Of course." said Dumbledore catching on like a wild fire in tall grass.

"I believe that since Severus, Draco and I share the dark mark, though faded as it is..." started Lucius.

"You are still connected...despite Voldemort being gone." said Hermione catching on as well.

"Could it really work father?" asked Draco hopeful. "Could we channel enough magic to take us to where Uncle Severus is?"

Lucius looked at his right forearm.

"It's worth a try." he said.

Hermione nodded.

"Indeed it is." said Dumbledore. "But the connection would be limited only a few of you will be able to reach the place where Severus is being kept."

"I'm going." said Hermione.

"As am I." said Draco.

"You're not leaving me behind." said Harry bravely. "I don't care what you think of me...I wish to save Snape just as much as any of you."

"Then it is settled." said Dumbledore. "Lucius you will take Miss Granger, Harry and Draco along with you...Minerva, myself, and Mr. Weasley will stay behind."

Lucius narrowed his eyes at Harry.

"Very well." he said. "But if Potter just so happens to not return...that isn't my problem."

Harry still had no plans to back down despite the deliberate threat and both Hermione and Draco's murderous glares.

Hermione's thoughts turned to Severus and how well he was faring on his own. She had hoped he still had the strength to survive. _Please be okay Severus. We're on our way._


	41. Chapter 40:Blood Trip

**Chapter 40:** _ **Blood Trip**_

 _ **{"Please come now...I think I'm falling and you're the only one I think is safe...seems I've found the road to nowhere and I'm trying to escape...I yelled back when I heard thunder but I'm down to one last breath...and with it let me say...let me say...hold me now...I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking maybe six feet ain't so far down..."}- One Last Breath, Creed**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Unknown location, unknown area..._

 _ **A**_ gain pain flooded the lean and battered form of Severus Snape as he endured more of the trying punishment at the hands of his _Pureblood_ Supremacist grandfather. He had not known how long he had been at the sinister man's mercy but his body had been taxed beyond belief. At least in Azkaban he got a break between beatings. The crimson of his blood had stained the cool gray stone that made up the floor below him. His mind had been wavering as he slipped in and out of consciousness. His memories plagued him almost every second some pleasant, and some overwhelming nightmares. He had not known what was keeping his deranged grandfather from his usual practices, it had been much too far fetched to believe he had some how died before he could carry out his nefarious plans.

As Snape settled into the silence he was disappointed to hear the familiar rustling of locks and the pull on his chains. It had been strange this time around as instead of pulling him to his feet to drag him out and continue with the blatant hospitality, they simply pinned him to the cold stone floor. Of course this prompted the ailing wizard to struggle against their restraint.

"Hold him down and make sure his mouth is open." ordered Mathias. "He needs to drink every last drop for this to work."

Snape's already blackened eyes widened and he continued to struggle though it had been in vain.

The images of The Dark Lord hissed in the background an eerie smile filed across his face. Beside him were Bellatrix LeStrange, Lily Potter, James Potter, and Sirius Black.

"Join Us Severus." they all said in unison.

Mathias shoved the cold silver goblet into his mouth and the thick cold liquid started making it's way down The Potions Master's throat. Snape knew it was blood and something else something bound with strong dark magic that he had been forced to ingest.

"This will take care of that inferior blood in your veins." said Mathias with a smile.

In an instant he and his men were gone leaving Snape to deal with the sudden onset of agony that ripped through his already ailing body. The process was quite a painful one as it was meant to make him a _Pureblood_ wizard and his half muggle blood contended the process. Mathias knew it would be excruciating but he could careless so long as the end justified the means.

Snape had not known what Mathias hoped to gain by turning him into a _Pureblood_. The status of his blood was not going to make it so that he wouldn't find a way to ensure the old bastard breathed his last.

The Potions Master felt the familiar burning and stinging associated with a potion working it's way into his blood stream. He smiled as he realized most of the ingrediants that he tasted that went into the strange concoction.

 _Canis Root, Gillyweed, Sorkseed, Pureblood essance, flubberworm pus, Anixseed,_ and the one ingredient that Snape found utterly amusing _Nirnroot_ which when overly mixed with _Anixseed and Gillyweed_ make whatever concoction used ineffective. His grandfather may have been an intellectual _Pureblood_ psychopath but the man knew nothing about potions.

Snape considered himself very fortunate that he had not be so effective as he would have been crippled by pain and turned into a _Pureblood_. The Potions Master had no qualms about being in the company of other _Purebloods_ such as Narcissa or Lucius but most have proven to be lack-luster when one really thought about how great they were suppose to be. Still, the raven haired wizard made his peace with his blood status a long time ago.

Proving to be ever the sly Slytherin, Snape decided to let Mathias believe his little plan worked if only to escape this hell hole of a chamber and make his way to he exit. He had not known what condition Hermione had been in since the bastard whipped her but he was going to make it his business to find out first hand.

 _ **Later...**_

Severus knew enough about _Pureblood_ society to know how to behave when Mathias arrived and looked him over. He would have to buy himself or Lucius and Hermione some time before he could escape. The intended effects of the potion had been nullified by the contrasting ingredients but it did little to stop the increased heart rate and hallucinogenic state that washed over him. Severus found himself becoming dizzy and at best light headed while the botched potion took effect.

In a matter of a few blinks he found himself losing consciousness. The amber eyes of Hermione Granger still very much in his view as darkness enveloped him. The jasmine scent that seemed to radiate from her bushy brown hair enthralled him as well.

"Her-mi-on-eee." he whispered before everything faded way to nothing except the image of her.

 _{ The obsidian eyes of Severus Snape opened and he found himself standing in the center of a barren wasteland with a single hollowed out tree with bare branches and a rotted trunk. Perched on one of the branches was a raven as black as midnight and as big as two crows. The creature craned it's neck at Severus as he gazed into it's beady black eyes and squawked._

 _The sky had been an endless blanket of crimson with the orange glow of the setting sun in the distance._

 _Severus got to his feet rather shakily from his journey._

 _"Severus." said a familiar female voice that he had believed to be his mother once more._

 _Unprepared for another onset of mental agony he tried his best to ignore her._

 _"Sebastian." she said in a more profound tone than before._

 _"What do you want?" asked Snape bitterly. "Have you not tormented me enough?...Have not the others?"_

 _The raven perched upon the tree decedent from it's wayward branch and lengthened until it be came the full bodied version of Eileen Snape, mother of Severus Snape and wife of Tobias as the last time he had seen her strong and radiant. She wore robes similar to those of his own back at Hogwarts and there was a fire behind her eyes that he had never quite recognized. Her raven hair long and flowing down to her shoulders with volume and purpose._

 _She was thin but not considerably so. Her face angled in a proud expression. She was a long way, away from the woman he once knew as a child. That woman had been beaten and broken. This one was strong and willful._

 _"Do not speak to me in that defeatist tone." she said. "Have I not raised you better than this?"_

 _Snape looked at the ground feeling once more as if he had been a small boy of six years whom she chastised for stealing food from a neighbors house. He had not known why he had believed such a reprehensible act would win his mother's favor._

 _"I'm sorry mother." said Snape resigned._

 _"You have nothing to be sorry for." said Eileen._

 _Her own obsidian eyes piercing into his very soul._

 _"Have you not earned your penance with what you risked to bring peace to the wizarding world?" she asked._

 _"I-I..." he started._

 _Before he could finish stammering she moved swiftly to him cupping his sallow pale cheeks in her equally pale hands as she had when he was a boy._

 _"Lily's death was not your fault, you have more than paid for the mistakes of your past my son." she said meaningfully. "Those memories that haunt you let them be...have you no reason at all to move forward with your life?"_

 _Snape had no answer for her._

 _She smiled warmly and released him._

 _With a wave of her hand she brought forth an image of a young witch witch amber eyes and bushy brown hair._

 _"Hermione?" he said confused as to what his mother had known about the young witch who kept his company._

 _"She is quite the catch Severus." said Eileen with a smile. "Everything in a witch that I have ever wanted for you."_

 _Snape had been quite confused as she looked from the image of his mother to Hermione._

 _"How...?" he began._

 _"Because I am your mother." replied Eileen. "And because Tobias knew what you would be the moment you were born."_

 _"Tobias?" asked Snape confused._

 _Eileen_ _smiled at him once more._

 _"Your father had an incredible gift Severus." said the older witch in a pleased tone. "He knew all about our world long before I came to him as a teenager."_

 _This only served to confuse Snape all the more._

 _"My only regret is that you have never met him." said Eileen. "No doubt you know it is your grandfather's doing."_

 _"What do you mean I have never met my father?" asked Snape._

 _Eileen_ _sighed wistfully._

 _"Severus your father was Tobias Sebastian Snape, a Muggle unlike many other born with the gifts of a seer." she explained. "He knew who I was long before I came to his world, seeking refuge from what my father had proposed should I be unable to find a Pureblood husband to strengthen the Prince line."_

 _Snape arched an eyebrow at this._

 _"Did he?" he asked unable to finish the words._

 _Eileen_ _shook her head._

 _"I ran away before any of that happened." she replied. "When I landed in muggle London, your father was there to greet me."_

 _Snape listened to her tale with renewed interest._

 _"Your father and I married and had you." said Eileen. "But your grandfather relentlessly pursued us...he finally cornered us at Spinner's End, casting an ancient curse upon us both...by the time you were born we were not ourselves but enslaved husks bound in misery due to his malice. "_

 _The Potions Master couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was everything he had ever known a lie?_

 _"I-I don't believe you." he said unable to come to terms with his murdering of Tobias._

 _"Fear not my son, your father knew that you would come to release him from his cursed binds as he had sought to release me." said Eileen._

 _Snape shook his head._

 _"I-I killed him because I believed he was a monster that I was..." he started unable to wrap his mind around all that was being revealed._

 _"Your father was a good man." said Eileen. "The man you killed was but a husk...you did him a favor."_

 _The former Potions Professor considered this. If the man had truly been imprisoned by an ancient curse then he would have preferred freedom to eternal imprisonment._

 _"Let's not dwell on it." said Eileen with a small smile. "I have come to help you face your demons."_

 _Snape arched an eyebrow at this._

 _"Face my demons?" he asked._

 _"That's right." said Eileen._

 _Before Snape could utter a word another familiar voice called out to him._

 _"Severus." it said softly._

 _Snape closed his eyes knowing all too well whom it belonged to before he took in the sight of it's owner._

 _He opened his mouth and the name fell from his pale lips like a gasping breath._

 _"Lily..." he said._

 _He turned to see 21 year old Lily Evans-Potter with her strawberry hair and emerald eyes standing before him._

 _"You said this was about helping the git get his head on straight." came another intrusive voice that instantly made Snape roll his eyes._

 _Again Snape had instantly known whom it belonged to and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end._

 _"Potter." Snape spat with all the venom from his youth._

 _Sure enough James Potter had been standing next to Lily with a smug grin on his arrogant face. His glasses shiny with the fading orange light of the setting sun._

 _"Hey Snape long time no see." he said as if they had been causal friends in a former life._

 _"Of all the dead why must you be so lively?" asked Snape more than a little annoyed._

 _"Not my fault I died before I had even reached the prime of my life. " said James._

 _"Arrogant prat." said Snape bitterly._

 _James seemed to take no offense._

 _"Still hate me after all these years." he said shaking his head sadly._

 _"You know very well why I hate you." said Snape feeling his anger build._

 _James' brown eyes ventured to the ground, which had been colorless dust that seemed to go no where._

 _"I-I know I haven't been very kind to you." he said. "And you don't have to forgive me in the least...I know what I've done and I have to deal with that...but I am grateful to you for what you've done in looking after Harry."_

 _"I am grateful for that as well." said Lily._

 _"Of course you are." spat Snape. "I only nearly died for the boy numerous times and received countless beatings due to his pigheadedness."_

 _Both Lily and James nodded._

 _"Well what we came here to say greasy git is that as much as I would like to put this off on you.." started James._

 _Lily elbowed him in the chest._

 _"Hey." he said as if wounded._

 _"You are not responsible for our deaths." she finished._

 _Snape arched an eyebrow at this._

 _He started to go into how his over hearing Dumbledore and reporting about the Prophecy were the cause but James shook his head._

 _"Snape you and I both know Wormtail sold us out to Voldy." he said. "If it had not been for his weakness and our arrogance we would have made it to see our boy grow up."_

 _Snape was surprised by this admission. He never thought he would ever hear James Potter admit that he had been arrogant. Where but in his own hallucinogenic dreams could he ear such a thing from one of his most hated enemies._

 _"Thank you for everything you've done Severus." said Lily. "And while we are here, I wanted you to know that I did love you...but not in the way you wished me to."_

 _"I know." replied Snape. "But that still doesn't change the fact that you treated me like I was less than nothing."_

 _It was Lily's turn to look at the dusty ground._

 _"I am sorry Sev." she said sincerely. "Had I know what I know now..."_

 _"You still wouldn't love me." he replied. "I have accepted that."_

 _Lily seemed a bit surprised by this but gave him a sad smile none the less._

 _"Harry's turning into a fine young man." she remarked. "I have you to thank for that."_

 _Snape scoffed at the mention of Harry Potter._

 _"My debt has be paid in full Potter, two lifetimes worth." he said. "I've nothing more to say to either of you."_

 _Both Lily and James took their leave of him._

 _Eileen_ _returned with a smile on her face._

 _"It is always nice to see Lily." she said. "It's a pity you two didn't work out."_

 _"Am I suppose to be grateful she's suddenly decided I'm worthy of her attentions?" he asked bitterly before he could catch himself. "I don't need her false platitudes...if I needed my ego stroked I sure as hell don't need words...least of all from her memory...I've already got someone for that."_

 _"Do you mean, Miss Hermione Granger by any chance?" asked his mother teasing a bit._

 _Snape smirked thinking back to the brief amount of time he spent making the witch scream out due to being overwhelmed by absolute pleasure._

 _"I take that back." he said. "I believe I do most of the stroking._

 _The Potions Master had only briefly envisioned the amber eyes of the young witch and she suddenly appeared dressed in a sensual red dress that highlighted her natural curves and heels that hugged her seemingly delicate ankles in all the right places._

 _"No." he said out loud. "You're going to have to do better than that."_

 _The image of Hermione disappeared and reemerged with her wearing a pair of faded blue jeans, white trainers, an equally white shirt with thin straps, and a pink sweat shirt. Her trade mark bushy hair wild and untamed just the way he liked it. The image was further punctuated by the sight of her amber eyes blazing in heat as she looked at him._

 _"Yesss." hissed Snape feeling his heart pounding in his chest. "That's my witch."}_

Unbeknownst to Snape, he had managed to get to his feet in his current state. His eyes blazing with a heat and desperation that seemed to be from wanting to be near the witch that was clouding over his every thought.

"Hermione." he said.

The Potions Master found himself desperate to get back to her.

He crouched in the shadows and awaited the moment his guard would come through. The pale wizard was not disappointed when just like clockwork the guard showed up. With his heart pounding Snape snapped the guard's neck quicker than he could blink and dragged his lifeless corpse into the shadows to avoid discovery.

He stole the man's clothes and key charming the all black uniform to match his size with wandless magic and made his way toward the outer hall. There was no way he was just going to take being imprisoned against his will when he had a beautiful young witch waiting for him at Dumbledore Manor.

 _{Alright Severus."} said the voice of his mother. {Let's get you though the outer hall.}_

Snape took out four more guard before he felt his arm burning where the remnants of his dark mark had been. He had not known what it was but someone was using a good deal of magic to twist the very fabric of space and time.

The dour wizard smirked once he felt the flow of familiar magic course through him.

"Lucius." he said pleased.

It would only be a matter of time before the handsome albino wizard arrived. Then he could get started on his true objective, Killing Mathias Prince.


	42. Chapter 41:Calm Before The Storm

**Chapter 41:** _ **Calm Before The Storm**_

 _ **{A/N: The guests have gone and everything is back to normal with the internet.}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Unknown location, unknown area..._

 _ **D**_ arkness had been all around as Lucius Abraxas Malfoy stood with his son Draco, Hermione Granger, and much to his chagrin Harry Potter just outside what looked to be Prince Manor. The elder _Pureblood_ 's lips curled in disgust at the badly decomposing mansion and ill kept lawn. It was clear that Mathias was living in a fool's paradise. Hermione looked around noting that this place was something out of a nightmare. If she had been privy to those that Snape had while at Dumbledore Manor he might have been led to agree with her.

"Are you sure this is the place?" asked Harry anxiously.

"Of course I'm sure." replied Lucius irate. "Unlike you I think before I act."

Harry took no offense to the obvious assault on his character but said nothing. He had known before hand that the group he traveled with were not in the least bit sympathetic to his hurt feelings after all he had done to them.

Hermione seemed rather focused on getting Snape back as soon as possible. She had no idea what horrors were being afflicted on her already unstable lover but she was determined to get him as far away from this place as possible.

"Snape better be okay Potter." said Draco still glaring murderously at Harry. "I meant what I said back at Hogwarts."

"So did I." replied Harry.

"Enough." said Lucius. "We can all kill Potter later it's time to get back to the business at hand...Severus is being held here somewhere."

Hermione looked about the walls of the large unkempt up manor. She noted that there was a side window to what seemed to be an attic barely hanging by a hinge.

"I think there's our way in." she said.

Lucius smiled when he noted what she spoke of.

"Indeed." he replied. "You are quite exceptional Miss Granger."

Hermione had no time to revel in the compliment as she started toward the window with only thoughts of seeing her lover in her mind. Lucius followed as did both Draco and Harry. Each tighten their grip on their respective wands as they moved.

 _Inside Prince Manor..._

Snape had looked down at the lifeless body of yet another guard standing between him and the freedom to join "his witch". The savage animal instinct that drove him was highly effective it seemed. He had caught a whiff of Hermione's scent amid the halls and noted that he might in fact be standing on the edge of the abyss with his sanity rapidly deteriorating.

The guard went down easily. A quick snap and his life was extinguished. It should have bothered Snape how easily he had killed the man but life as a death eater and his subsequent imprisonment at the hands of his tormentors was enough to make him hardened against such trivial moral dilemmas. His instincts where high and the ingested potion's hallucinogenic effects were not helping matters.

The Potions Master made his way through the maze of walls until he reached a space with plenty of shadow. The scent of his lover grew much more profound. _She couldn't be here. It's a trap to lure me into his clutches._

Snape continued to stay in the shadows. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was sweating quite a bit.

 _The Attic, Prince Manor, Wizarding World..._

Draco volunteered to be the first to see if there was any resistance in the attic. He climbed through the window and scouted the area. When there had been no sign of anyone around he signaled for Hermione to join him. Then Harry followed along with Lucius last. The group found it strange when they met no resistance as they descended further into the manor. Hermione felt a chill as they passed a shadowy place and Harry discovered a dead guards body.

"He certainly didn't waste any time." said Lucius.

"He?" asked Harry inquisitively.

Lucius smirked.

"Indeed." he replied pleased there was still some fight left in his little brother.

"You mean Severus." said Hermione looking over the dead guard's corpse.

"Of course." replied Lucius. "Surely you didn't expect Mathias to use such a muggle attack...he barely wanted to get his wand dirty back at Dumbledore's place."

"If this was Uncle Severus' work then Potter is in for a world of trouble." said the younger blond wizard with a wicked smirk.

As they passed a large shadowy place Hermione felt something pull her back from the others and place a firm hand over her mouth. She would have screamed if the familiar scent of herbs and fresh earth had not caught her attention. Followed by the sensation of a heated kiss upon her exposed neck.

"Her-mi-on-e." said Snape inhaling her scent.

He released his hold over her mouth.

"Severus." she said grateful that he had been alive.

The Potions Master pressed his significantly taxed pale form hard against her soft slender body. She had been warm just as he remembered and smelled of jasmine.

"Severus, what's happened to you?" she asked noting that something wasn't quite right about him.

"Go home witch." he said not at all sounding like his usual self.

"Severus?" asked Hermione confused.

"Go." Snape managed again.

His legs gave out and he collapsed in the shadow unintentionally pulling Hermione down with him. The sound had gotten Lucius' attention and he came rushing over with Draco and Harry.

Upon hearing approaching foot steps Snape scrambled to his feet and had Lucius pinned into a nearby wall with his arm at the albino wizard's throat. In turn Lucius held his wand at Severus' throat in self-defense.

"Severus." said the elder albino blond. "Little brother it's me."

"Lucius?" he asked confused then blinked and backed away from his long time friend.

Snape looked over the young wizard's faces that had accompanied him.

"D-Draco." he said stunned to see what had become of his godson.

Without a word Draco Malfoy made his way over toward his godfather and hugged him as if he had still been the little boy of 11 that first arrived at Hogwarts. The hope had been returned to his tired gray eyes.

"Uncle Severus." said the junior Malfoy. "I'm sorry...this was all my fault...If I hadn't been so weak..."

Snape gently patted the worrying young wizard on the head.

"No." he said cutting his godson off. "This is all Potter's fault."

Harry's green eyes took in the sight of the old floor boards. He had not denied responsibility for his past actions. He had only sought to atone for them.

With an icy glare Snape looked in Harry's direction.

"What is the lesson you have learned in all of this Potter?" asked Snape.

Harry sighed and shifted with his hands in his pockets. He too felt like a little boy of 11 back at Hogwarts in Snape's presence.

"That a tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny." replied the green eyed wizard honestly. "And I'm the tyrant."

"Wrong." said Snape glaring at Harry his rage evident. "You're the little fool who allowed the tyrant to find his pretext...fortunately for you your little error in judgement shall be rectified soon."

"What are you thinking?" asked Lucius observing his little brother.

"I mean to kill an old man." said Snape with a flicker of malicious behind his obsidian eyes. "And this one will be dead permanently."

Harry's brow furled at the obvious reference to Snape's feigned assassination of Albus Dumbledore but he said nothing.

Hermione grabbed Snape's hand and squeezed it nervously.

"I don't want you to go." she said concerned. "You're hurt and your bleeding."

Snape sighed.

"Do not waste your pity on me Miss Granger." he said in his usual professor tone. _"Snart ans..."_

Harry's ears perked at the sound of the parseltongue.

"Y-You can speak parseltongue?" he asked.

"No." replied Snape annoyed that Harry made himself known. "Just some words or phrases."

Harry nodded.

"Severus." said Hermione still with a worried look in her eyes.

To silence further protest the dour wizard grabbed the bushy haired witch and crashed his pale lips into the soft pink ones that so perfectly fit her face. She closed her eyes unable to ignore the wave of emotion that had come from her lover's kiss.

 _"Snart ans."_ hissed Snape as he let her go.

Lucius had not known what to make of the scene. Neither had Draco for that matter. He had been out of the loop as far as knowing about his godfather and school mate's relationship. The young albino blond arched an eyebrow at this wondering if this had been the real motivation behind Hermione trying to get Snape freed from Azkaban.

"Hermione, Potter, Draco." said Snape. "I suggest you go back to Hogwarts...I've got an old man to kill...you game Lucius?"

The elder albino blond smirked wickedly.

"But of course." he replied. "Lead the way little brother."

Snape gave Hermione one last kiss and both he and Lucius took off for the old bastard's study. Hermione had not been ready to slink off back to Hogwarts. She waited until she was out of Snape's line of sight and took off after them followed by both Draco and Harry. They had come to bring Severus back to Hogwarts and that is just what they were going to do.


	43. Chapter 42:Just Deserts

**Chapter 42:** _ **Just Deserts**_

 _ **{A/N: Long awaited update I know...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Son...She Said...Have I Got A Little Story For You And What You Thought Was Your Daddy...Was Nothing But...While You Were Sitting Home Alone At Age Thirteen...Your Real Daddy Was Dyin' Sorry You Didn't See Him...But I'm Glad We Talked...I'm Still Alive..."} Alive, Pearl Jam**_

 _Old Prince Manor, Wizarding World..._

 _ **R**_ age had coursed through the heart of one Severus Sebastian Snape as he ventured toward Mathias Prince's study. He meant to see the sadistic old sod dead and would not stop until his lifeless corpse was at his feet. Lucius had followed closely behind wand at the ready. Snape had hoped that Hermione would have the sense to take the other's back to Hogwarts. He ill afford for her to be captured and used against him. There was no way that he wanted be held responsible for the death of yet another lover.

The door to the study had been left unlocked which caused Snape and Lucius both to become suspicious.

They both entered airing on the side of caution.

"Hello, Severus." boomed the voice of Mathias.

"It's time for you to die old man." said Snape struggling to keep his cool.

Mathias stepped from the shadows with a smirk upon his face.

"You know I have been thinking about making some...changes to the old place." he said as if un-phased by their appearance.

"It will be hard to make these so called changes when you're dead old man." said Snape in a dangerous tone.

Mathias sighed.

"Just like your mother you have no vision, no drive." he said. "How disappointing."

With a wave of his hand the elder wizard sent Lucius flying into a nearby wall.

The handsome albino blond managed to get a hex off but the elder wizard dodged it with ease.

Before Snape could get a shot in Hermione, Draco, and Harry appeared and took turns trying to hex Mathias. The old wizard batted their attempts away from him like flies. With another wave of his hand he sent them flying across the room scattering books and parchments every which way.

"It seems your little _Mudblood_ refuses to concede to her betters." said Mathias. "Apparently your mother's lack luster flaw in chasing after those with _mudblood_ runs deep."

"She is the least of your concerns old man..." replied Snape, his obsidian eyes flashing rage. "You will not speak of my mother!"

Again the out matched youths attempted to combat Mathias. Just as before he swatted their attempts with little to no effort.

"Your little friends aren't of much use Severus." taunted Mathias. "And to think they were attempting to "rescue" you."

At that moment Eileen's voice whispered to him in the shadows of his distorted mind.

 _"The Book, Severus..."_ she said. _"You must get that book from him...it's the key to his power."_

Snape's obsidian eyes glanced at the podium. Sure enough there was a glowing book of dark magic that Mathias was reading from. He thought for a moment on how much of a cliche this had turned out to be but continued to focus on the book none the less.

With a hiss and wind projection spell Snape managed to secure the book in time to stop the old man's assault on a downed Potter. A pity that, as Snape no doubt would have enjoyed seeing the boy be squashed by the raging tyrant.

"Severus give me the book." said Mathias turning his attention to his grandson. "You have no concept of the kind of power in which you are playing boy."

Snape glared at the old fool then a smirk filed across his pale face.

"I'm afraid Mathias, you are the one who has no concept of what kind of power you are playing with." he said in an eerily calm tone.

Dripping with fury, Mathias waved his hand summoning what appeared to be a demon to his side. It grabbed Hermione by the throat and dangled her in the air. Snape's eyes narrowed at the barbaric spectical before him. It didn't have the effect that Mathias desired.

"Give me the book or I will snap your little _Mudblood'_ s neck." he threatened.

Snape rolled his eyes clearly bored with the entire exchange. He had been more experienced with dark arts as well as threats idle or otherwise. He was after all the most hated wizard in the world, quite a feat considering that even Voldemort came in second to him during his reign.

"Go ahead you'll save me the trouble." replied Snape effortlessly.

His detachment to Hermione proved to unnerve Mathias who seemed to be all out of options.

"Give me the book or her blood will be on your hands." said the elder Prince.

"What's one more drop of blood to a known killer?" he asked. "Were you not aware that I've spent the better part of five years in Azkaban...not to mention being a death eater in service to the dark lord."

Hermione made no sudden movements, neither did Harry or Draco who had barely managed to get to their feet. As Harry Potter shook the cobwebs from his head in a bid to regain his senses, he could do little about the low hissing that filled his ears.

The green eyed wizard had looked around confused before he realized that it was coming from his own mind and that it had been Snape speaking to him in Parseltongue. From what Harry could make out, Snape had been telling him to get Hermione and the others toward the door.

"You'd better not fail me Potter." hissed Snape. "Get them out of here...it's the least you could do."

Harry nodded understanding what the older wizard was asking of him.

Draco noticed Harry nod and arched an eyebrow at this. Then he heard Snape's voice projected in his head.

"Get your father out of here."

"I'm still waiting for the spilling of blood." said Snape now taunting Mathias.

When the elder Prince made no move Snape decided to go ahead with his plan. He waved his hand over the book and began reading out loud.

 _"Nil mihi vas te voco spiritum meum..."_ he read knowing full well what he was doing.

Everyone looked at him in shock as his pale form began to glow with the red hue of the very demon that held Hermione by the throat.

 _"Potentia enim mihi vindictam acrused Princepas sanguinem emundabit de hoc mundo..."_ continued Snape. _"Cecidit et mortuus est in ultionem.."_

The demon suddenly dropped Hermione and raced over toward Snape enraged as it crashed into him. Even Mathias looked on in shock as the raven haired wizard yelled out in pain. By the time Snape collapsed dropping the book in the process the elder Prince raced over to retrieve it. He looked down at the now smiling Severus Snape with confusion.

 _"Bana ans...snart..."_ hissed Snape in parseltongue as he chuckled some.

Hermione attempted to race toward him but Harry grabbed her and pulled her toward the exit. Draco had helped Lucius to his feet. Snape noted how close they were to the exit.

Mathias shook his head as he looked down at Snape.

"I told you you had no concept of that which you were playing." he said bitterly. "Just another arrogant child needing to know it's place."

As he spoke blood trickled down the from his nose. The sudden onset of pain had him falling into a panic. More blood came from his ear. His vision blurred as it trickled down his cheeks as tears from his eyes.

"W-What have you done?" asked Mathias looking down at the still chuckling Snape.

"As I told you before, did you really think you knew more than I about the dark arts old man?" asked Snape in a smug fashion.

Mathias couldn't believe what was happening as he doubled over with blood gushing from his mouth.

"See you in hell." said Snape as the blood came from his ears as well.

Hermione struggled against Harry to get to Snape but it was to no avail. They had all seen what was happening to Mathias and didn't know what to make of it.

"SEVERUS!" shouted the bushy haired witch upset.

She continued to try and get free of Harry.

Snape flashed her a pleasant smile before turning his attention elsewhere. It wouldn't be long now. He would be given his just deserts for all the wrongs he had committed with his retched existence. It was best if she didn't see, she had wanted to save him. They all tried to save him, not understanding that he couldn't be saved. He was just as evil and ruthless as the tyrant trying to take over the wizarding world. Their blood had been the same dark thing that brought only death and misery...now it would be over.

 _"EJECTO!_ shouted Snape with the last of his strength.

Before Hermione could protest, she found herself flung from the manor with Lucius, Harry, and Draco. The witch scrambled to her feet as the enormous estate crumbled before their very eyes.

"SEVERUS!" shouted Hermione and Lucius in unison.

Draco had been rendered speechless as had Harry.

They never imagined something like this happening. They had come to save Snape from his twisted grandfather, not watch him die trying to keep them safe. Draco leaned back on his knees enraged at what had just taken place. He turned his heated gaze on to Harry Potter.

"This is all your fault Potter!" he shouted getting to his feet.

Harry said nothing as Draco advanced on him.

The two young wizards went tumbling back to the ground as Draco Malfoy punched Harry with all the fury that had been bottled up since Snape's Trial. The junior Malfoy broke Harry's nose and busted his lip pretty good as he continued to rain heavy blows from his balled pale fist down on the ungrateful Gryffindor.

Hermione made her way toward the rubble. She couldn't leave Snape here. If he was well and truly dead then she would bury him in a place where he would be at peace. Lucius assisted her as they sifted through the rubble of the former manor. They found him in the rubble that had been Mathias' study.

He had been trapped between a book shelf and a piece of the ceiling. Lucius and Hermione quickly spelled the debris off the fallen dark wizard and pulled him free. Hermione dropped to her knees at once not at phased that she had scraped them and now they bled through the fabric of her jeans.

The bushy haired witch cradled the limp body of Severus Snape against her chest. Tears flowed from her amber eyes and Lucius looked upon the young witch in a mix of admiration and wonder. It would seem that she had true feelings for the dour sod. More so than even she had realized.

As Hermione cradled Snape her tears dropped into his dirt covered face. He found himself awakening at the discomfort of being wet. Lucius smirked when Snape's obsidian eyes flung open and he drew away from the young witch taking in his first deep breath.

"What the hell!" he shouted gasping. "Are you fucking trying to drown me?"

Hermione's eyes widened and she immediately threw herself into the dour wizard's arms.

"SEVERUS!" she said pleased to see him survive.

Snape rolled his eyes as she pressed her cheek into his chest.

"Just what I needed..." he said in his usual sarcastic tone. "A tear-struck witch grasping onto my person."

Lucius smiled outright as he looked down at his little brother.

"I take it that was not quite how you planned it." he said in a charming tone.

Snape looked up at his old friend.

"It would seem that even in hell a Snape doesn't quite measure up." he replied dusting himself off after removing Hermione from him. "I suppose I should be use to rejection by now."

Lucius chuckled at this.

"Draco, you can stop killing Potter." he called causally. "Severus will be just fine it seems."

Upon hearing this Draco let go of Harry and raced over to where Snape now stood with Lucius and Hermione who had been crying happy tears.

His godfather had indeed been alive and bitter as usual.

Draco offered the dour wizard a warm smile. Snape returned it briefly before turning his attention back to the bushy haired witch.

"Snart ans." he hissed taking her into his arms.

Hermione kissed him eagerly as he ran his hands along her back.

"I suppose being spared yet again isn't all bad." he said. "Living does have it's perks."

Harry got to his feet despite the beating he took at the hands of Draco Malfoy. He was glad to see that Snape had survived once again. The threat of another dark lord was ended a second time and quite before the tyrant got started thanks to Snape's efforts.

"I believe Miss Granger and I have some unfinished business to discuss." said Snape with a flicker of heat behind his obsidian eyes. "Tell Cissy, I'll visit another time."

Lucius smirked knowing all too well what his little brother had in mind.

"Of course." he said. "Try not to wear her out too much Severus, she is quite young after all."

Snape returned his smirk and quickly apparated with Hermione in tow.

Lucius turned his attention to a slightly more alive Draco.

"I suppose we should give your mother the good news." he said.

"Indeed father." replied Draco.

Both Malfoys apparated away.

Harry had been much too injured to apparate and no one else had thought to give him a lift back. Not that he had expected them to. He had earned their ire and justly so. With a sigh he sat down amid the rubble tried to figure our how he was going to fix the monumental mess he had made of everything.


	44. Chapter 43:Becoming Unbroken

**Chapter 43:** _ **Becoming Unbroken**_

 _ **{A/N: Long awaited update I know...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Two Hundred Miles Per Hour...That's How Fast I Seem To Go...With The Weight Of the world on my shoulder...Slow down karma catches all...slow down...fear when I'm in doubt...I need something beautiful...I need something to feel real again before I go nuts..."} Beautiful, Sevendust**_

 _ **Warning: Sexual Content ahead...**_

 _Hermione Granger's Flat, Muggle World..._

 _ **H**_ ermione had been surprised when Snape had apparated her to her own flat. The look on his sallow pale face had been grim as he suddenly seemed to lose all the arrogant bravado he displayed in front of Lucius, Draco, and Harry. It seemed the fight against Mathias had taken quite a bit out of him and now he just looked sick. Never one to be slow when it came to taking a hint, Hermione quickly put her arms around the ailing Potions Professor and lead him into her place. He had truly been more hurt than he let on with a few broken ribs and scars here and there from whatever Mathias had done to him prior to their battle. The sweat pouring off the dour wizard only seemed to confirm what she had feared as she got him into her bedroom.

Snape smirked as he leaned against the young witch who put forth all her will in a bid to support him.

"A couple minutes into your place and already you try and get me into bed." he quipped despite the presence of his fever.

The bushy haired witch rolled her eyes. He had not been entirely wrong on that account but it was mostly his own damn fault for teasing her in front of Lucius. When they arrived this had not been how she planned to get the old sod into her bed but now she had no choice. His fever was running rampant and it was the only place to work on him without adding too much pressure to the wound.

Snape hissed when she lowered him onto the soft mattress. She did her best to ease him into comfort but his wounds were still giving him trouble.

"I'm so sorry." she apologized.

Snape simply groaned.

Hermione spelled off what was left of his clothing and had him resting comfortably in the center of her bed. She got out her wand and immediately began to heal her ailing lover. Snape hissed and groaned during the process and she reset his ribs which had been quite difficult to do without Skeletal-gro.

When she completed her task she simply rested on the side of him.

Later...

Snape woke up somewhere close to midnight, his fever had broken and his bones were set. The bruising had faded under her care and he was as well as could be expected given what he had endured for so long. Hermione had been curled up into a ball beside him, her bushy head resting against his chest out of habit. As his breaths came slow and easy, she seemed to scoot closer toward him.

"Severus." she said in the throes of sleep.

He allowed himself a small smile before stroking her back with his hand lazily at first then with purpose.

"How did you like my parlor little fly?" he whispered softly in her ear.

"Hmmm." said Hermione still asleep. "Severus..."

Snape smirked as he softly kissed her hand that he brought to his pale lips. Hermione Granger was quite a unique witch, The things she had been capable of with little to no backing

She simply nuzzled against him and continued to sleep. Snape found himself drifting back off unable to bring himself to disturb the sleeping witch any further. He wondered just how much sleep she had gotten since his imprisonment and subsequent near execution seeing as he knew how obsessive she could be, the answers was probably close to very little or none at all.

The silence of the flat had been a boon and they slept well into the next morning.

 _Much Later..._

Hermione awoke to find that she had been in bed alone. Panic coursed through her as she sat up tossing off the covers. She had not really had a chance to ask Severus what he would do with his new found freedom. The nature of their relationship had been one of both necessity and boredom from being trapped in Dumbledore Manor with the rest of the world out to get them they had little choice in seeking each other out. Now Severus was a free man and no longer hated by the masses. He could go anywhere or do anything he wished.

The bushy haired witch steeled herself against the disappointment of his not being anywhere to be found. She made her way into the front room and found much to her amazement that had he not only still be there but he had managed to cook them both breakfast. He looked up at her with his obsidian eyes glinting.

"Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty?" he said with a smirk.

Hermione couldn't help but smile. She had been more pleased to see him than anything. The added bonus of already prepared food made it even more of a treat.

"Good to see that you're up." she said recalling how sick he had been when they arrived.

Snape smirked as he set their plates on the kitchen table. Returning his smirk with a pleasant smile, Hermione made her way over toward the table and took a seat, which Snape had pulled out for her.

"Everything looks so good." she said marveling at his culinary prowess.

Snape continued to smirk and sat down at the table with her. They shared a few quiet exchanges before moving on to their breakfast. Afterwards they two of them ended up in a discussion about Hermione's future plans concerning the wizarding world. The bushy haired witch confessed there was nothing really there for her to go back to. She had severed her friendship with both Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, she had been blacklisted for actively speaking out against Snape's false imprisonment and harsh treatment, and generally not like by anyone thanks to Harry Potter branding her as Snape's Whore.

"To tell you the truth I don't really wish to return." she said as they leaning against the brown sofa she had been sharing with Snape at the moment.

Snape said nothing as he gently ran his fingers across the smooth and exposed skin of one of her legs that had been draped across his lap. She leaned back against the pillows in a bid to ignore how much this tiny act of affection on his part meant to her.

"What about you?" asked Hermione.

Snape seemed to give her question some real thought so much so that the soft caresses ceased and she found herself more than a little disappointed that they did.

"I want nothing more to do with the wizarding world." replied Snape. "I want nothing to do with the people in it and I wish to go about my life without the constant reminder of all that has happened."

Hermione had not known how to take this given she had been on of the people from that world.

"You are the exception." he said almost as if he had read her thoughts entirely. "I deal with you and you alone."

Hermione had been relieved to hear this, she had grown quite accustomed to the dour wizard's parlor.

Snape flashed her a small smile and shifted his weight until he freed himself from being trapped beneath her legs. Hermione had been about to protest when she noted he leaned above her pressing her back against the pillows of the sofa. She barely had time to register what was happening before his pale lips crushed into her soft pink ones.

They shared a heated kissed and then another. After a series of them Snape pressed his lean body between her slender thighs. Hermione ran her finger through his lengthy raven hair and he groaned. She found herself lost in another series of heated kisses. The two of them had been so caught up in their need for each other they didn't seem to notice when they had slipped off the sofa and Snape ended up on his back on the floor.

Hermione was straddling him as he reached up stroking her newly exposed belly. She smiled realizing he had used magic to undress her in his haste to get re-acquainted with her body. She wondered just how he was going to behave after being imprisoned for a second time. Snape sat up pressing his lips to hers and letting his long pale fingers trail across her newly exposed flesh.

"Hermione." he said in a low growl.

The bushy haired witch had a breath hitch in her throat when she felt him bit at the flesh of her neck.

"Severus." she said before succumbing to the passion that flooded her senses.

It wasn't long before she felt him like she had so many times before back at Dumbledore's Manor. She gripped him with force driving her finger nails into the exposed pale flesh of his chest.

Snape grunted beneath her as he lifted his hips getting her worked into a rhythm.

"Severus." Hermione managed again.

Snape had not been very vocal only the sound of his rapid breathing could be heard.

They had been at it for what seemed like hours with Hermione losing steam by the minute. The bushy haired witch felt the rush of her release as she collapsed onto Snape unable to hold herself up. Snape thrust up taking over and keeping his pace until he too felt the rush of his release. The sound of the young witch's moans had been loud and quite entertaining for the older wizard as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Severus." said Hermione recovering well enough to softly kiss his pale chest.

Snape sighed and ran his equally pale fingers through her bushy hair in what appeared to be an affectionate manner.

"If I were still your Professor I would have to give you an Outstanding for the best fuck I've had in a long while." he said in a dry tone.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. Seemingly insulted by his assumption that she would be with him if he was still her Potions Professor.

"If you were still my professor I would never have..." she began.

Snape put a pale finger to her lips.

"I was merely giving you a compliment Granger, I am not accustomed to giving them out." he said. "So take it and be grateful, one never knows if it will ever happen again."

Hermione was about to say something about his arrogant attitude but she realized he had been right. He wasn't accustomed to giving out compliments least of all to her.

"You're an incredibly sexy insufferable git." she replied giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Snape simply smirked.

"Save the wisecracks for those who wield them better." he replied. "Still, I appreciate the sentiment...not that it was lost in your lack-luster attempt to be snarky."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Best I could do given the circumstances." she said in her own defense.

Snape kissed her on the lips to quiet her rage.

"Cheeky witch." he replied.

They finally got up off the floor after another thirty minutes and ventured to bed having spent a good deal of energy. Hermione found Snape to be the strangest wizard she had ever met and there had been quite a few strange ones from her days during the war. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized that after knowing him for the past seven years at Hogwarts coupled with the five years he had been in prison that brought the total amount of year she knew the dour wizard to twelve years and she knew even less about him than anyone else in his company.


	45. Chapter 44:The Trouble With Being Untam

**Chapter 44: _The Trouble With Being Untamed_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's Another Update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Your Imagination And Emotions Running Wild...Fueling My Frustration...Like A Fire Burning...Clock Keeps Turning...Both Ends Burning... I...Wanna Put Your Mind At Ease Again...I Know It's Getting Underneath Your Skin...I Try To Tell You Now...Don't Look Over Your Shoulder...Cause That's Just The Ghost Of Me Your're Seeing In Your Dreams...You're Looking At The Ghost Of Me..."} Ghost Of Me, Daughtry**_

 _Hermione Granger's Flat, Muggle World..._

 _ **W**_ eeks went by and everything seemed to be more of the same between Snape and Hermione. The only difference had been that he slept more and under her care became quite fit. His PTSD had still been a problem and the night terrors about his time in Azkaban would disrupt him every now and again but it seemed they were living a quiet life together. The bushy haired witch had been happy to have his company despite his insisting that soon he would be leaving and that she would do well to forget about him. They had been enjoying a rather interesting literary game in her sitting room one afternoon when the subject of his leaving came up again.

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow...Creeps in this petty pace from day to day...To the last syllable of recorded time...And all our yesterdays have lighted fools...The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!...Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player...That struts and frets his hour upon the stage...And then is heard no more." recited Snape completely from memory. "It is a tale...Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury...Signifying nothing..."

"Macbeth's speech." said Hermione recalling the lines from the Shakespearean play. "Act V, scene five...I think."

"Correct." said Snape rather impressed. "It's your turn I believe."

Hermione thought for a moment.

"My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words...Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound:..." she recited from memory.

Snape arched an eyebrow at this.

"You cannot be serious." he said.

Hermione simply smiled at him.

"Have we not covered my eternal contempt for this fool hearty tale?" asked Snape.

"Hey like it or not it's still literature." replied Hermione.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 Scene 2." he said annoyed at her choice in dialogue.

"Your turn." said Hermione.

"How am I then a villain...When devils will the blackest sins put on...They do suggest at first with heavenly shows...As I do now. For whiles this honest fool...I'll pour this pestilence into his ear..." recited Snape.

Hermione had known some of the lines were missing and figured he had done this deliberately to keep her from guessing too soon where the dialouge came from. Snape simply sat back against the sofa observing her thinking process.

"Othello, Act 2 scene 3." said Hermione smirking.

"Well done." replied Snape clapping his hands in respect. "I believe it is your turn."

The bushy haired witch took a moment to think up what she deemed to be a good one. She decided to take a shot at being as morbid in her choices as her snarky lover had been in his.

"And I, of ladies most deject and wretched...That sucked the honey of his music vows...Now see that noble and most sovereign reason...Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh...That unmatched form and feature of blown youth...Blasted with ecstasy..." recited Hermione from memory. " Oh, woe is me...T' have seen what I have seen, see what I see!"

Snape smiled at this. It seemed he had liked the play in which she had chosen her dialogue and was well impressed with her delivery.

"Hamlet, Act III scene 1." he said still smiling. "One of my favorite plays."

Hermione returned his smile.

"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun...Coral is far more red than her lips' red...If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun...If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head...I have seen roses damask'd, red and white..."But no such roses see I in her cheeks... And in some perfumes is there more delight...Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks..." recited Snape watching Hermione with a strange expression behind his obsidian eyes. "I love to hear her speak, yet well I know...That music hath a far more pleasing sound..."

He scooted closer to Hermione taking her hand in his as he spoke with more intent and purpose.

"I grant I never saw a goddess go...My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground..." recited Snape in his deep baritone drawl that seemed to enthrall Hermione before she could catch herself. "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare...As any she belied with false compare."

The bushy haired witch looked into Snape's obsidian eyes and he stared back into those of her amber ones.

"I feel my time here is growing short." said the Potions Professor. "There are some things that I must attend to that simply cannot be put off any longer."

Hermione had been dreading the day he would have to leave her flat and venture out again. He had earned his freedom and no longer had to hide from anyone with the truth of Dumbledore's survival spreading across the wizarding world. He was now deemed an unsung hero of both wizarding wars against Voldemort and his defeat of his grandfather spared everyone the reign of yet another tyrant just five years after the conclusion of the second wizarding war.

"How soon do you have to go?" she asked keeping the hand he casually stroked her cheek with in place.

Snape sighed as the warmth of her supple cheek seemed to ignite the pale flesh of his calloused hand.

"Tomorrow." replied the Potions Master with a dispassionate tone as he continued to lock eyes with the young beautiful witch whom had done everything in her power to get him granted his freedom even to the point of rebelling against everyone she once held dear. "We will speak no more of this for now."

Hermione found it hard to keep back the tears that had begun to fall from her amber eyes. Snape said nothing as he gently wiped them away with his free hand. As if he could sense her desperation, Snape leaned down and kissed Hermione on the lips. She returned his kiss as if it had been for dear life.

She leaned back onto the sofa pulling the Potions Master with her. They became more interested in the need to feel each other as they had so many times before but it seemed much more desperate both knowing that it could very well be the last time they experience this whatever it had been that developed between them.

"I wish you would stay." said Hermione as he focused on kissing her neck. "But I won't ask you to...you deserve to be able to go where you wish after everything you've been through."

Snape said nothing as he continued to work the young witch out of her clothes.

"I shall miss you." she continued kissing the side of his pale neck. "Everything about you."

It wasn't long before they both had become more interested in being with each other than they had been in discussing his inevitable departure. The two of them ended up on the floor.

"Severus." said Hermione with her voice full of longing.

She closed her eyes feeling The Potions Master inside her like before. She wanted to remember every detail of their last night together. The pale hands of said wizard gripped her slender thighs as he pulled her closer. If he was truly honest with himself, he would definitely miss bedding Hermione Granger. She had developed into a passionate young witch with a good deal of potential in whatever field of study she chose to pursue.

The witch's soft moans filled Snape's ears as he thrust surprisingly slowly into her willing warmth. The pace was agonizing for both him and Hermione as they continued but she couldn't bring herself to rush him knowing this might well be the last time he did these wonderful things to her body.

"Severus." she moaned loving the feel of him.

"Hermione." he groaned in reply. "Beautiful witch."

Snape turned his attention to the searing kisses she had been so keen on giving him.

His hands were buried in her bushy brown hair and he deeply inhaled the scent of jasmine that always lingered in her hair. Her youthful body was starting to glisten with sweat from the effort of they were putting into their coupling.

Snape started to pick up the pace a bit causing Hermione's moans to become more frequent.

His need for her was evident but he knew he had to let her go. She was much too young for him and she had spent enough of her life at the whims of an older man. He could still see the sad little girl from her memories whom no one wanted to give a moment of their time to because she was an intellectual. It reminded him of his own sad and lonely youth where his only friend had been a girl that eventually wanted nothing more to do with him despite all they had shared.

He didn't want Hermione to become like that.

He knew what he was.

Girls only came to him to satisfy a curiosity and then moved elsewhere when it came time for any sort of commitment. Women took their pleasures from him and moved on to the next without so much as a backwards glance. Experience taught him to be weary of anything that meant he had to express his inner most self to obtain.

"Severus." said Hermione as tears began to stream down her fair supple cheeks.

She could not get over the thought that he was going to leave. She had hoped, wished that he had forgotten all about that talk and would remain here with her in the flat for as long as possible. She had meant it when she said that she knew he had been imprisoned long enough and that asking him to stay when he wanted to leave would be like a form of imprisonment.

"Please Severus..." said Hermione in a pleading tone though she had not know what it was that she was pleading with him for.

The Potions Master grunted as his pace increased as did the degree of force to his thrusts.

She was a sight all uninhibited. He had been possibly the only man to ever see her in such a state.

"More." she pleaded gripping him tighter between her thighs.

His actions increased the tempo and before they knew it they were going at each other like wild animals during mating season. She was desperate to show him that no other woman could make him feel the way that she had and hopped that it would either persuade him to stay or draw him back to her once he'd left.

He was determined to show her that no man or boy she took to bed would ever erase the memory of his passion for her. In truth he had thought about staying. It would have been all too easy to just conveniently forget that he told her that he was going to leave. He had no doubt in his mind that she would allow it. Her willingness to accommodate him had been most unnerving when he first found out about her idea to help get him an appeal.

As the hours passed, Snape finally reached his end dragging Hermione right along with him. They both layed out on the floor out of breath and covered with sweat. The bushy haired witch still had tears in her eyes. Snape kissed them away and they ended up having another literal debate. After some food and more chatting, Hermione had come up with a hell of a way to say goodbye, she proposed that she and Snape christen every room of her flat with intense rounds of sex before he would have to leave the next day.

Snape thought the idea to be right up his ally and immediate set to work breaking her little record for the most sex in a single afternoon. For extra fun Snape added that one of the conditions be that they could chose to copulate as animagus forms of lions as well. Hermione thought the entire experience was a little strange but did it none the less as a one for the memory books type of thing.

Having made sure he topped off her memories as best he could Snape took Hermione into her bedroom for the final round. In the end they were still at it well into the early hours of the next morning as desperate not to let up. When it finally did come to an end Hermione had been fast asleep and clinging to Snape as if for deal life.

The Potions Master drifted off to sleep for an hour or two finding it hard not to be contented with watching the younger witch cling to him. He would have been lying to himself if he said he felt nothing for her. He had already admitted that he had cared for her. He simply didn't wish to read too much into whatever this brief interlude between them had stirred.

Hours before the witch awoke, Snape gathered his things and apparated from Hermione's flat. His destination unknown as he held no plans to stay in England. Leaving with the witch asleep was the best he could do should she make his departure any more delayed than it had to be. Hermione awoke hours later to find her former Professor and surprisingly talented lover gone.

He had left a noted despite telling her before hand that he was leaving given the level of intimacy they shared. He thought it quite rude to just vanish into the night so to speak.

 _ **Dear Miss Granger...Hermione,**_

 _ **If you are reading this I am already gone. Allow me to thank you one last time for all you have done for me concerning**_

 _ **securing my freedom from Azkaban and getting me back to relative health following the incident at the prison.**_

 _ **As far as lover go you have proven yourself to be quite profound in all aspects. I will miss our literary debates and**_

 _ **obvious night caps. You are a truly passionate witch and I wish you wealth and happiness. No I am not feeling ill**_

 _ **should you chose now to implement a replication of my demeanor, I simply never knew anyone I would want to wish well**_

 _ **and thus never have until you that is. I look forward to hearing of your exploits in the wizarding world should you**_

 _ **chose to return. I of course never intend to. I'm afraid you my dear are my last great conquest as I wish to live**_

 _ **a quiet life for the remainder of my time. I will not be so fool-hearty as to burden you with my existence any**_

 _ **more than I would another. Pardon or not I am still a death eater and have committed atrocites that you could**_

 _ **only dream about. Still, I thank you for the time we have spent together thus far. It was the closest I have ever**_

 _ **come to normal if that means anything.**_

 _ **Take care of yourself, Insufferable know-it-all and may you find one worthy of your love and devotion.**_

 _ **-Severus Snape.**_

Hermione sighed putting away the note and turning her attention toward cleaning up her house. He was gone. She had hoped that he would by chance change his mind but it seemed that he was content to be on his own, at least for a little while. She could hardly blame him. He had spent much of his life doing what everyone else wanted and it was time for him to have something for himself, even if it meant she would spend a good deal of time pinning away for the dour man.

She wished Severus well and got back to the reality that was her life. A smile came across her lips as she recalled the previous night with her former Potions Professor. It seemed that Potions wasn't the only thing he had excelled at and it was quite a boon to note that she had been the only one to know what the man was capable of when he really got going. Yes she wished Severus Snape well in his solitude he had earned it and then some considering all he had to endure. She had just hoped that if he ever got tired of all that isolation and quiet he'd know to look her up. She wouldn't be that hard to find. Especially not as far as he was concerned.


	46. Chapter 45:To Drown In Darkness

**Chapter 45:** _ **To Drown In Darkness**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's Another Update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"All you have is your fire...And the place you need to reach... Don't you ever tame your demons...But always keep 'em on a leash...When I was 16, my senses fooled me...Thought gasoline was on my clothes...I knew that something would always rule me...I knew the scent was mine alone..}**_

 _Some Muggle Bar, Unknown Location, Muggle World_

 _ **R**_ inging had been constant in the ears of Severus Snape as he struggled to remain on his feet. Blood trickled down his chin and dripped onto his crisp white shirt as a rather large drunken muggle brute took hold of his collar and beat him rather mercilessly in the face. Another blow hit him in the stomach causing him to double over but the pain had not been significant. Not in the way of the dark lord's curse when he was having a frustrating day due to the Order of Phoenix continuing to out maneuver his death eater forces. The Potions Master's vision blurred and he found himself being tossed into a nearby wall. Another drunken brute grabbed him as he stumbled holding his arms as the other man continued to beat him. Snape kept seeing the images of Mad-Eye Moody and his interrogation squad of Aurors from his youth.

 _{The brute of an Auror smacked the 20 something year old wizard across the face as he was held by another. Another blow came with ringing in the future Potions Master's ears. He felt a blow to his stomach and another to his jaw effectively breaking it. The stinging burning sensation of broken blood vessels beneath the skin and dislocation of the bone made him unable to keep consciousness._

 _"Tell us what the fuck we want to know you little shit!" shouted Moody irate._

 _Snape simply struggled to keep his spinning head up right as the Aruor lashed out once more. The raven haired younger wizard choked up blood as he recalled the image of Lily Evans-Potter lying dead upon the floor of her little baby boy's bedroom. Baby Potter had been strangely silent when Snape arrived only crying when the dour one himself broke down in unrestrained tears._

 _As Moody hit him , Snape's head snapped back with more images of the fallen Lily. Unrestrained tears rolled down his sallow pale cheeks as he found himself looking out at the images reaching for her knowing all the while that she had not been there._

 _"Are you ready to talk Snape?" asked the gruff Auror holding the reeling wizard by the collar._

 _Snape had not seen Mad-Eye any more focusing on only Lily willing himself to be able to reach her. He had not known he was near death at this point only that he could see her and he wanted so badly to join her at peace._

 _"ANSWER ME SNAPE!" shouted Mad-Eye._

 _Snape simply smiled pleasantly at the Auror._

 _"Lily." he said before passing out.}_

Snape found himself on the hard wood floor of the unknown establishment. He was spitting blood and his vision was blurred. Another hard blow and screaming told him he had not been alone. There were muffled voices and some breaking glass. He made out the voices being from nearby males and females alike. The male voice that was closest to him had been filled with rage and hatred. He recognized the intent to kill. A part of him had been waiting for this since that dreadful day at Godric's Hollow but then something else seemed to out weigh the self-destructive side and he was filled with a quiet rage.

He had survived Spinner's End with the constant brutal attacks at the hands of Tobias Snape.

He had survived the loss of the first friend and love he had ever had when she married another and then was subsequently murdered by Voldemort.

He had survived Hogwarts being a student and then as the youngest Professor in history.

He had survived the first wizarding war and Mad-Eye's brutal hunting parties.

He had survived the years of being in the stream of Harry Potter's so-called greatness.

He had survived being a death eater in Voldemort's inner circle during the second wizarding war.

He had survived Azkaban twice, once as a youth and again as a labeled murderer.

He had survived being trapped in Dumbledore Manor with an insufferable know it all and very little wine.

He had survived the assassination/possession attempt by his deranged grandfather Mathias Prince.

And now some no name muggle prick with a "Hercules complex" thought he was just going to end his life over a few uneven blows?

Snape got to his feet and began assaulting the brute soon turning the tide of the small battle. He overpowered the first brute knocking him out indefinitely. The second struck him cutting his arm with a broken glass bottle. Snape beat him into a bloodied heap and found himself ready for the next challenger.

When none showed up Snape cut a small coin purse from his belt and threw it to the barkeep.

"For the damage." he said.

The room was a broken mass of split tables, shattered glass, and spilled liquor.

The women Snape had heard looked at him with grateful expressions.

"Thank you sir." said one of them. "Those guys were real creeps."

"You are both very welcome." said Snape polite. "Do mind yourselves from here on out."

"Y-You should go to the hospital." said one of them. "That looks bad."

Snape simply smirked.

"Believe it or not." he said amused. "I've been through worse."

The young girls seemed to take his word for it. Before anyone could add anymore to the conversation, they both kissed him on the cheek in thanks.

Snape took his leave and didn't look back.

 _Later..._

Snape made his way down the darkened street with his body screaming in protest to any further movement. Those drunken brutes had really done a number on him. That and he found to his annoyance that he was getting much too old to take a beating. He made his way to some hole in the wall where he had taken a room for the time being, mostly until he moved on like he seemed to always do since leaving Hermione Granger's flat almost two weeks prior.

He made his way inside and layed down on the bed after locking up. He uncorked a healing potion from his coat pocket and quickly albeit painfully swallowed it down. It took a moment or two to take effect, being one of those generic brands as one of his own brews would have worked instantly. He smirked when he realized that Potion-making had been the only thing that he was ever truly good at, to the point where even he was spoiled by the fruits of his labors.

He closed his eyes feeling exhaustion overtake him.

As with every night amber eyes came dancing into his view. The came the brown bushy hair and sensuous soft pink lips that he longed to kiss in the late hours of the night. The supple cheeks that he longed to stroke as sure as his pressing erection and the softer sigh of breath associated with her reaction to his touch.

"Hermione." he said in a near whisper.

She asked him like she had every night if he missed her. He would sometimes nod but this time he replied in the silent darkness.

"Yes." he said meaningfully. "Snart ans..."

She came into full view then her slender frame and sensuous hips bare before him as she moved to straddle his lap. Snape's breath hitched in his pale chest as she maneuvered to impale herself upon his prominent erection like she had done so many times before.

"Hermione." he said in a whisper in the darkness.

The vision Hermione put a slender finger to his pale lips and looked at him with heated intensity.

"I-I love you." he said not even knowing what he had been saying in the darkness of his room.

 _Elsewhere..._

Hermione Granger had been tossing and turning in the center of her bed. She had not had much luck with a decent night's sleep since Snape left her flat all of two weeks ago. There had been no word from him from anyone not even the Malfoys knew where he could have gone to. Each of them frequently questioned each other about his whereabouts. Dumbledore came to visit a time or two to do the same. He had told Hermione that Snape cleared out all his accounts and simply vanished once the deed was done. No trace of him was ever found anywhere. Harry Potter had even offered a substantial reward for anyone who might have found Snape muggle and wizard alike stood to gain a pretty hefty bonus of galleons if they could indeed bring out Snape.

The bushy haired witch had missed the snarky git but she knew that Snape wasn't the type to be found if he didn't want to be. He had always made it clear to her and everyone else that he had no intention of re-joining wizarding society. They had gone too far in their hostilities for him to pretend nothing happened to him at their hands. They had not even wished to hear him out siding with Potter, a boy who knew nothing about their way of life for much of his existence. He had tried to explain to them and Potter that he had not killed Dumbledore and that he could take them to the older wizard but none would hear him out.

Hermione couldn't blame him for the way he felt. She had felt sort of the same way. Now the wizarding world was giving her credit for righting a great injustice to their unsung hero. Now they were saying how in her debt they were, these same self-absorbed prats that labeled her as Snape's Whore for so long that everyone she knew believed she was "a promiscuous slut" that slept her way through the N.E.W.T.S. at Hogwarts to excel as well as she had being Muggle-born and all.

She continued to toss and turn her body feeling the ache left by Snape's departure after growing so accustomed to him being in her bed. She wanted nothing and no one else but the snarky git and wished he would come back to her. She would take him back in a heart beat, forgoing his absence as if it meant nothing in the way of pain, if it meant he'd be back in her arms and back in her bed.

The bushy haired witch could see him. His obsidian eyes like fire as he looked over her naked form sprawled out in bed. His pale lean body pressing against hers like so many times before that final night. His breath ragged from arousal and his motions swift. She could still feel his searing kiss upon her lips and his hands touching her in places she wanted no other to explore.

"Severus." she moaned in her sleep. "Severus please...I-I love you."

 _Unknown location..._

Snape awoke long enough for the effects of too much booze to make him head for what passed for a loo. He began to vomit a good deal of the previous nights contents and then ran the water in the shower. He didn't bother to undress as he sat letting the cool water beat against his heated flesh. He couldn't get the thoughts of that supple young witch out of his mind. Everything about her seemed to etch itself in to his near perfect memory. He left to give her a chance to come to her senses but in the process he had not anticipated his blatant dependency upon her. She seeped into places in him that he never knew existed and trying to force her out of them would mean the end of him.

"Hermione." he said weak as the water continued to batter his cloth covered flesh. "Snart ans..."


	47. Chapter 46:Upon One Year and Two Months

**Chapter 46:** _ **Upon One Year and Two Months**_

 _ **{A/N: Before you ask no this isn't the end...you'll know when we get there.}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"'Tis True, Sir, Love Can Still Inspire...The Blood To Pound, The Heart Leap Higher...What More...What More Can Man Require-**_

 _ **Than love Sir..."} Pretty Woman, Alan Rickman, Sweeney Todd**_

 _ **A Year and Two Months Later...**_

 _Hermione Granger's Flat, Muggle World..._

 _ **A**_ fter a year and still no word from Snape the wizarding world was a buzz with speculation of the unsung hero's disappearance. Most of the stories had been about him showing up in various places assisting muggles and becoming something of a heroic figure. A happy out look had been about him finally finding the woman who could make him happy and of course the more darker of the three out looks that he was most likely drowning his sorrows in some muggle pub given to severe bouts of depression and PTSD. Hermione had thought about the dour man almost every second of every day. She wondered if at least two of the known rumors were true. Despite his demeanor, Snape was a true unsung hero and helping people without a word of thanks was definitely something he would do. Then again he had been a glutton for punishment given his PTSD and constant drinking. She wouldn't be surprised if she had found him in a pub somewhere having a few drinks in the dark.

Harry Potter had been at her flat a time or two inquiring as to Snape's whereabouts. He felt responsible for the dour wizard given all that has happened not to mention the man being something of a uncle to him due to his friendship with his mother. Hermione had wanted even less to do with Harry than Snape had.

She politely told him where he could take his latent concern and slammed the door in his face.

The bushy haired witch had been in for the shock of her life when she heard the sound of approved clapping coming from her sofa.

She turned around noting that she had left her wand on the kitchen counter.

"That was most interesting Miss Granger." said a familiar deep baritone drawl like honey dripping into her ears.

Her heart stopped as she wanted to ensure this had not been some elaborate hallucination.

"Miss Granger speechless?" said Severus Snape as he stood before her with a wicked grin plastered across his pale face. "And here I didn't even have to go through the trouble of freeing my cock from my trousers to incite such delightful silence."

Hermione glared at him as he moved closer toward her. He looked strange in plain muggle clothes, a pair of black trousers not so unlike his usual ones with hiking boots of course in black, and a short sleeve black shirt with a unbuttoned collar. His raven hair had been cut neatly but retained most it's length looking much more healthy and casual. He had something of a light tan making his appearance much more healthy than before she had even known him as a Professor.

He had clearly been taking better care of himself as his shoulders were much more broad and his frame given to lean muscle. By contrast, Hermione had looked the same as she had been the last time he had seen her, she wore a pink sweat shirt with a hood much like during her school days, a maroon shirt and plain light blue jeans. She wore white trainers on her feet and her bushy hair had been left wild possibly due to her having been woken up from a short nap because of Harry Potter's unannounced visit.

"Where have you been?" she asked clearly upset that he had left her in the first place.

"Traveling." he replied. "But I assure you there has been no woman on the end of my cock since you."

Hermione couldn't fight the blush that was creeping across her face. Apparently being free of responsibility and no longer being put in a position of authority over minors made it possible for him to revert to his more vulgar ways, or it was probably being that he was a prisoner for five years and no longer

Snape smirked rather wickedly as he watched her bringing her eyes to look into his with his long pale index finger on the end of her chin.

"So beautiful." he said with his obsidian eyes meeting her amber ones.

Before the young witch could attempt to feign protest he captured her soft pink lips with his pale ones in one swift motion. She let out a blissful soft moan as he deepened the kiss and pulled her slender frame close to his black clad chest.

"I missed you, witch." he said nearly breathless from the intensity of the kiss.

"You should never have left." said Hermione throwing her arms around his neck.

"Well, I did tell you that I had some business to take care of." he replied in a smooth tone.

Hermione smirked.

"And now?" she asked.

Snape sighed.

"It appears Miss Granger, that you have me at an impasse." he said. "I must confess I don't find that idea to be a terrible one."

"Really?" asked the bushy haired witch stroking his cheek.

"I can think of no better way to spend the remainder of my time." he replied.

They kissed again and Hermione smiled when she noted how the sly wizard managed to get her out of her jeans before she could pull back from him.

"Hey no fair." she said giggling like a school girl all over again "I can't do wand-less magic."

"That's too bad." replied Snape not showing an ounce of pity. "I was just trying to figure out what kind of enchantment you seemed to have placed over me."

Hermione smiled innocently.

"So it worked did it?" she asked in mock approval.

"Cheeky witch." he said with heat behind his obsidian eyes.

Then Snape suddenly gripped her by the waist and lifted her into his arms. She gasped as her chest was pressed flush with his. Taking the initiative, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into the bedroom still familiar with the lay out of her house after a full on year.

 _The Bedroom, Hermione's Flat, Muggle England..._

With a jolt Snape dropped the young witch down onto the bed and eagerly covered her newly naked form with his own equally naked body. Hermione moaned as he pressed himself between her thighs like he had so many times before his departure. She could almost feel the sensation of his entry even before he positioned himself to thrust into her.

"Severus." she said weakly.

In her mind she had rehearsed this day over and over believing herself strong enough and much more angry at this insensitive jerk then she had actually be upon reading the note he left her. But at the feel of his large pale hands, rough but not as calloused sweep over her heated flesh she simply melted into his embrace.

"I want...I..." she started not at all knowing what it was that she was begging for.

Snape simply grunted crushing his pale lips into her soft pink ones.

"I-I want you to stay." she said in a near whimper.

Snape groaned when she arched into him brushing her warmth against his erection.

"I do believe that I am at your mercy little spider." he said in a gruff tone.

"You can never leave my parlor." said Hermione with a wicked smile and heated behind her amber eyes.

With that Snape proceeded to give the wanton young witch what she seemed to crave the most well into the rest of the afternoon.

 _Later..._

Utterly spent and out of breath Hermione found herself looking up at the ceiling as she clung to an equally spent Snape as he too looked up at the ceiling. It was a nice breeze that came and ghosted over their sweat blasted exposed flesh. Snape had been out of breath as well surprisingly considering his ability to retain much of his stamina.

"You witch, will be the death of me." he said through ragged breaths.

Hermione smirked and sat up turning her attention to her returned lover.

"I missed you." she said.

"I know." he replied. "If your performance thus far was any indication I am well aware of just how much."

"Are you?" asked Hermione with an arched eyebrow.

It was Snape's turn to smirk.

"What have you be up to since my departure?" he asked changing the subject.

"I managed to get my degree in charms." she said. "I was thinking about taking on Potions."

Snape arched an eyebrow at this.

"Now why would a silly wand waving bushy haired, know-it-all like you want to do a thing like that?" he asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes and smacked him with her pillow.

"I wanted to be closer to a snarky, greasy dungeon bat with a lot of untreated mental issues." she replied.

Snape was impressed she seemed much more able to hold her own in a battle of wits.

"I didn't much like traveling." he said.

What do you mean?" she asked turning on her side to face him propping her head up with elbow, her hand resting against her cheek. "Where did you go?"

Snape sighed.

"I went a great deal of places." he said. "Mostly to clear my head and get away from this wizarding business for a while...I even looked into some treatment for this PTSD nonsense you keep going on about."

Hermione smiled.

"Well traveling seemed to have done you good." she said approvingly.

"Not entirely." replied Snape. "Well not my temperament any way."

"Don't tell me you got into fights." said the bushy haired witch.

"A few." replied Snape but nothing serious. "A brute managed to break my jaw once."

"Severus." said Hermione seeing the image in her mind of how he must have looked.

"It's all well now." said Snape demonstrating for her that his jaw had been healed.

"Well I know that." she said. "It's just...rather unnerving to think about any more harm coming to you after everything you've already been through."

"This wasn't really how I picture returning to you." he said honestly. "I half expected you to reject me and be in the arms of another."

The bushy haired witch sat up fully and moved to straddle the dour wizard much to his surprise.

"I'm not her." said Hermione meaningfully. "I want you and only you and that is all there is to it."

"I know very well that you aren't...her." said Snape refraining from saying the name of the witch that held his heart for so long and never returned his affections. "I am not the marrying type."

"I know." replied Hermione stroking his pale bare chest.

"I'm not much for company." he said.

"Neither am I." she replied.

"I still suffer from PTSD." he said.

"And I know a very good way to process treatment." she replied now kissing his chest.

"I'm not a young man." said Snape feeling the effects of a new arousal.

Hermione smiled noting that she was having the desired effect on him.

"Some part of you seems to think that you're a six year." she said.

Snape growled gripping her thighs with both hands.

"I hate children." he said.

"I don't have the patience for them either." she replied letting out a soft moan as he turned his attention to her exposed chest.

"Are you sure you can handle me?" he asked with a wicked little smirk.

"Aren't you more worried about how well you can handle me?" asked the witch smirking wickedly as well.

"It seems I've met my match." he said.

"It seems so." replied Hermione.

The bushy haired witch concluded the discussion by impaling herself onto Snape's newly acquired erection. They proceeded to hash out the rest of their new found arrangement between the crisp white sheets of her queen sized bed. By the time it was over, Snape was definitely not going anywhere. Hermione had been pleased that her negotiation skills had improved since their last arrangement.

 _Much Later..._

Snape cooked dinner for himself and Hermione though he had been pleased to see that she picked up better eating and shopping habits since the last time he had been over to her place. He continued to avoid the wizarding public and those whom he found contemptible in favor of just being with Hermione. His drinking had lessened under her watchful eye and they seemed to get on in relative peace without anyone else's input.

It was all Hermione seemed to ever want despite Snape being against marriage in all forms.

She had never seen herself as the mothering type, not like Ginny or anyone else from her school days that moved on and had children of their own. She spent much of her time as a muggle history professor with an older snarky git for a boyfriend who never seemed to like human contact from any one but her. Hermione had liked it that way. Only she had the power to reach her lover and it was intoxicating.


	48. Chapter 47:Bouts In Darkness

**Chapter 47:** _ **Bouts In Darkness**_

 _ **{A/N: Long awaited update I know but here it is none the less...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Will the faithful be rewarded...When we come to the end...Will I miss the final warning...From the lie that I have lived...**_

 _ **Is there anybody calling...I can see the soul within...And I am not worthy...I am not worthy of this...Are you with me after all...Why can't I hear you...Are you with me through it all...Then why can't I feel you..."} Ashes Of Eden, Breaking Benjamin**_

 _Hermione Granger's Flat, Muggle England..._

 _ **S**_ omething was wrong! It was the first thought that had entered the subconscious mind of Hermione Granger and awoken her from her pleasant slumber. The previous day had been filled with their usual routine of good food, literary challenges, and various bouts of intensely gratifying sex. It had been typical for the two of them since their time at Dumbledore Manor. After a year of his absence Hermione was more than happy to indulge the dour wizard in her company. They seemed content with each other if nothing else and given all they had endured together it wasn't hard to see why. Life during and after the wizarding wars had been filled with pain and anguish for so many, more so for Snape than anyone else and Hermione knew all too well how his second stint in Azkaban had gone courtesy of Harry Potter.

She still worried about his PTSD. While he had not been drinking, he was still prone to random bouts of depression and occasionally violent mood-swings. He worried that his condition might be too much for her but the bushy haired Gryffindor witch dismissed this instantly. She seemed to be more than capable of dealing with him even at his worst.

Snape had enjoyed pushing her body to it's limits when they engaged and she had enjoyed making him come undone like so many had dreamed of doing from the moment they met him. His poise and utter self-control had been the subject of many a cautionary tell when she attended Hogwarts.

What had gotten the young witch's attention had been the shivering pass of lean pale flesh in bed beside her. At first she thought Snape had been cold given the sweat amassed from their previous activity and the sudden shift of the heated temperature to the cool morning air filling the room. She attempted to cover him and put an end to his shivering when she noticed he had already had the comforter draped over him and still the shivering persisted.

"Severus?" said Hermione shifting the covers to get a look at him.

He did not reply.

"Severus?" she said again this time bringing a concerned hand to his contorted pale face.

He still did not respond.

Feeling a fresh onset of panic Hermione noted how clammy the wizard's pale skin had felt. It reminded her of when he had taken ill back at Dumbledore's manor. Of course then he was just getting out of prison when he was attacked by a violent mob.

It took a moment for the half asleep witch to not that Snape wasn't simply shivering, he was having full blown body tremors almost as if he were being cursed some how.

"SEVERUS!" shouted Hermione straddling him in a bid to check his vitals.

Snape still gave no indication of response.

She ran her hands along the exposed pale flesh of his torso like she had so many times before. His heart was racing his muscles tightened as the tremors continued. He seemed to be some place where even she couldn't reach him.

Thinking fast she recalled how she was able to pull him out of his night terrors. The bushy haired witch pressed her soft pink lips into his pale ones in a desperate kiss, pouring every ounce of emotion she had concealed from the dour wizard into it. Snape shifted some before his pale eye lids sprang open and his obsidian eyes focused on her tear filled amber ones.

"W-What?" he asked confused by all that transpired.

"Y-You were having some kind of a fit." explained Hermione. "At first I thought you were cold..."

Snape sighed. He had not meant to scare her so much. It was evident that this little episode had shaken her to her core.

"I-I don't know why that happens." he explained. "I've awoken quite often feeling confused and disoriented without any explanation as to why."

"And you were alone?" she asked.

Snape nodded his raven hair sticking to both the white pillow he was laying upon and his sweat blasted forehead.

"I had no intention of..." he started.

Hermione touched his sallow pale cheek and gave him a small smile.

"I know." she replied understanding.

He had no intention of seeking another for comfort even in a physical sense.

"I have no explanation for those severe black outs." replied Snape. "As far as I know they don't seem to happen during my waking hours."

"You think it's related to your condition?" asked Hermione.

"Possibly." replied The Potions Master. "Then again it could be a number of things."

The bushy haired witch sighed.

"Do you think it's magic related?" she asked resting her head against his chest.

Snape absently ran his fingers through her bushy brown locks. He appeared to be in deep concentration.

"I cannot say." he replied thoughtful. "Nothing is wrong with my magic."

"We'll figure this out." said Hermione with a sigh.

"I should hope so." he replied.

The bushy haired witch conveyed her wish to sleep on his chest to ensure that she would be able to respond to him should he slip into another black out. Snape made no objections as both he and her drifted off to sleep without further incident.

 _Weeks Later..._

Snape had been in the sitting room when his vision suddenly left him. Hermione had heard the loud crash come from the kitchen where she had been finishing up with her turn on the dinner dishes. Snape stumbled over the coffee table and ended up breaking it in two when he fell through it after being so suddenly robbed of his sight. Hermione came rushing into the room and immediately went to help Severus to his feet. He was having the same tremors from the other night except he had been wide awake.

His magic had been going haywire as well as if there had been some sort of anomaly in it. Hermione pulled the injured wizard toward the sofa and attempted to reach him as she had that night. She noted that it took him longer to respond to her than it had the last time one of these "black-outs" occurred. She did not understand it. It seemed as if he was being cursed once more but there was no one attacking him.

"Severus!" she shouted trying to reach him. "Severus please...please fight whatever this is."

The Potions Master's body went lax and his breath became shallow indicating the internal struggle had ended at least for the time being. His pale lids opened slowly and he looked up at her, obsidian meeting amber.

"Her-mion-eee." he said weak from the episode.

She smiled at him sweetly.

"I'm here Severus." she said softly.

He had been covered in sweat like before and his raven hair was sticking to his sweat blasted flesh.

"I think we should rest for a bit." said Hermione softly.

"Whatever you say." replied Snape in an emotionless tone.

Hermione helped him off the floor and onto the sofa. He caught his breath as she held him in her arms too afraid to leave him for even a second. She had no idea what was happening to her snarky wizard but she was determined to find out, especially now that it seemed his condition was growing worse.

For weeks Hermione was caught between intensely studying what was happening to Severus and battling the effects of his condition. The symptoms had appeared to be getting even worse as the days progressed. What had been confusing was that some times he would be well for weeks at a time making her believe whatever was happening to him was passing.

She had mistakenly believed this the first time around when she walked into the bedroom in time to see him collapse onto the floor. He had hit his head on the end table despite her best efforts to prevent it. There was a good deal of blood coming from the wound and she did her best to both patch him up and help him regain consciousness.

As with before, this bout lasted far longer than the previous times and made her even more uneasy. She knew for sure that she couldn't leave him on his own, not while his condition was progressing. The tremors increased and Snape became even more frustrated with the lack of memory pertaining to these events.

Once afternoon, Snape had one of his ever present mood swings and apparated to the nearest liquior store where he took it upon himself to purchase all the wine in stock. The clerk had never seen anything like it when he downed half the stock of muggle wine just to get the same drunken effect of a single firewhiskey.

Hermione had been annoyed when she arrived at the liquor store and found Snape good and drunk with the clerk talking about "super powers." The bushy haired witch had to oliviate the clerk and remove all evidence of Snape's arrival and argued with the drunken sod until he apparated back with her to her flat.

Hermione had been so angry she wanted to hex him. Of course it did not both Snape who fell asleep listening to her lecture on the sofa. She rolled her eyes and got the sleeping drunk ready for bed. About an hour or two later Snape awoke in the dead of night yelling for someone "get their slimy soul off him."

He had less incidents like that one but the black outs continued to worsen to the point where she knew she had no other choice but to seek outside help, and by outside help, she knew that she had to seek the aid of none other than Albus Dumbledore. If anyone knew how to help the ailing Potions Master, it was the Headmaster of Hogwarts.


	49. Chapter 48:Into The Abyss

**Chapter 48:** _ **Into The Abyss**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's a summer heat inspired update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Screaming on the inside...I am frail and withered...Cover up the wounds...That I can't hide...Walls that lie between us**_

 _ **The saint within the sinner...I have lost the nerve...But it's all right...Carry the wounded and shut your eyes...All will be forgiven...None will rise...Bury the fallen and lead the blind...I will find the lost...Dead inside..."} Into The Nothing, Breaking Benjamin**_

 _Hermione Granger's Flat, Muggle England..._

 _ **M**_ id-afternoon had been as eventful as always in Hermione Granger's Flat. Severus Snape had been sitting on the sofa as the summer's turned the sitting room into an oven of sorts, the various cooling charms had been of little to no use and as a consequence to such savage temperatures, Snape was half naked with the exception of his ebony silk boxer shorts as he nursed a bottle of chilled red wine. His lengthy raven hair pulled back into a pony tail to keep it from spreading more heat to his neck and shoulders. Hermione had been dressed in bikini yellow had been the color of choice for some reason.

The bushy haired witch also had her notoriously bushy brown hair tied into a pony tail of sorts to give her neck and shoulders comfort in the heat. Hermione sat on the sofa next to him, bitter about the dour wizard managing to get his pale hands on yet another bottle of wine. He looked at her through blood shot, hungry obsidian eyes as she moved about the flat, her nicely shaped figure parading around for him to see.

It had been a solid week since one of his episodes but Hermione knew that something could happen at any moment and being prepared she watched him a great deal for any signs of significant change.

"Are you just going to stare at me all day or are you going to get a new hobby?" asked Snape sipping his wine with a bitter expression of his own.

"Are you going to drink all day or are you going to help me find a cure for you?" asked Hermione folding her slender arms across her average chest.

She had been well toned for a young woman and developed into quite a looker from his school girl days, summer seemed to make her body look that much more inviting as Snape continued to stare at her.

"There is no cure for what I have." he replied finishing off the wine and getting to his feet.

Hermione noticed immediately that he had been sporting a rather impressive erection.

She got to her feet as well and made her way toward the kitchen.

"You could at least try to seek treatment Severus." said Hermione annoyed by his resignation to what was happening to him.

"And who would be able to assist me?" asked Snape making his way toward the fridge to obtain yet another bottle of wine.

"I would." replied Hermione taking the bottle out of his hands. "These black-outs of yours are getting worse, much worse than before...some times it's a full hour before I can get you to come out of it."

Snape looked at her for a moment seeing the ginuine fear in her eyes.

"I apologize for causing you to worry." he said stepping up behind her.

Hermione froze as she felt his hands on her hips.

"Severus." she said closing her amber eyes and embracing his touch.

The Potions Master kissed her on the neck and turned his attention toward the sink. As soon as the witch let her guard down, he turned on the faucet letting the clear water run unbeknownst to the witch caught up in his amorous ministrations.

In true Slytherin fashion, Snape filled a small drinking cup with some of the water from the faucet using his skills at multi-tasking, he was able to keep Hermione off kilter and fill the cup without her notice.

"You know, they say the temperatures are increasing due to a heat wave." he said making light conversation.

"Are they now?" asked Hermione still lost in what he was doing to her body.

"Mmmmhmmm." replied Snape squeezing her slender hips with his other long pale hand as he continued to kiss her in that spot just behind her ear that always rendered her powerless. "The weather man gave specific instructions to find a way to keep cool."

"Mmmmm." replied Hermione still unable to come to her senses. "Keep cool..."

Suddenly she felt a cold jolt as Snape poured the water into her without her notice.

"SEVERUS!" she shouted finding herself shivering from the sudden shift in temperature.

The Potions Master had the nerve to burst into laughter as he took off knowing full well the witch was primed for retaliation.

"If you think that you are going to get away with that git you have another thing coming." she said _. "Accio Wand."_

Not one to be out done Snape knew full well where this was headed.

He arched an eyebrow at her gall as the witch began firing water hex after water hex at him.

He dodged the first few easily then she conjured water balloons that pelted him from mid-air.

Laughter and a good deal of water filled Hermione's flat as they ran about soaking each other to avoid the heat.

"Give it up Granger, There is no way you are going to out last me." said Snape in a smug manner.

Hermione narrowed her amber eyes at the dour wizard. He was well verse in wand-less magic and could out duel her in seconds but she was determined to put the Slytherin in his place.

"I don't think so." she replied casting a few more water hexes. "You may be better at dueling Severus but I still have youth on my side."

Snape countered using his wand-less magic.

"So be it." he replied. "And as I recall youth is on my side as well."

He continued to chase the witch through the house, both soaked from their aquatic assault on each other.

Hermione had been in mid-hex when Snape cast a time charm and quickly raced over toward the witch he pinned her to the sofa and canceled the charm. The amber eyed witch glared at him.

"Cheater." she said in a mock bitter tone.

"Never said we had any rules to follow." he replied in his own defense.

He crushed his pale lips into her soft pink ones. Hermione let out a moan despite herself. Snape smirked against her and she did her best to try and knee him in the groin.

"Watch it witch." he hissed catching her knee in time. "My equipment is more sensitive than yours."

"Don't I know it." she replied with a mischievous gleam in her amber eyes.

The Potions Master lifted the cheeky witch off the sofa and carried her toward the bed room. She lazily cast a _scorgify_ on the flat as she wrapped her arms around her lover's pale neck.

 _Hours Later..._

Hermione awoke devoid of her bikini with an equally nude Severus Snape laying beside her. They had seemingly rutted themselves into exhaustion that afternoon. The heat seemed to let up with the absence of direct sunlight beaming through the flat and the chill of night had been welcome. The familiar shaking beside the amber eyed witch had gotten her attention once more. Hermione straddled Snape's legs and tried to get him to focus on her voice. She had been having no such luck as the minutes passed and he seemed to slip deeper and deeper into his subconscious.

"Severus...we have to go to him." said Hermione with fear in her tone. "I don't know how to help you anymore."

Snape had remained unresponsive as the tremors continued to wrack his pale form.

Hermione used her wand on him and placed his boxer shorts back on him after a quickly dispensed cleaning charm and got dressed herself the same way. Severus continued to shake as if he was slipping further and further away.

The bushy haired witch levitated him from her bed and used an old port key to get her ailing lover to Hogwarts. Apparently Dumbledore had made it so that his office could be reached straight away should any need arise for his expertise.

 _The Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts, Wizarding World..._

Dumbledore had been in the middle of viewing parchments when a nearly frantic Hermione arrived with Snape half-levitated and half-supported by the young witch. The Headmaster noted that the dour man had been unconscious as well. He got up from his seat and walked over to them immediately. His twinkling blue eyes filled with much concern for the younger wizard.

"Miss Granger, what's happened to Severus?" he asked helping her by taking some of the weight of the raven haired wizard off her.

"He's having another one of his black outs, but I can't wake him." she said her panic evident in her tone.

"Another?" asked Dumbledore observing the unconscious wizard. "This has happened before?"

"Yes." replied Hermione. "I've been managing them so far, he's even showed signs of improvement but...this is the worst he's ever been and the longest he's taken to recover."

Dumbledore studied the young witch for what seemed like the longest time. She had no doubt he had been accessing the details of Snape's condition from her mind.

"I see." he said softly. "We must get him to the infirmary immediately."

Hermione agreed as they both made their way through the floo to the said infirmary. Severus Snape was draped between them still unconscious and unaware of what was happening around him.

 _The Abyss..._

 _Severus Snape found himself once more surrounded by darkness. His vision had been impaired as he stood in the coolness of the deep as if he had been transferred into the outer most regions of space. The emptiness had been unnerving even for Snape as he stood unable to see or move for fear of what had been beyond the small foot space in which he stood. In the black distance there was the sound of constant whispering growing louder and more profound as he focused his attention on deciphering the voices._

 _One voice had caught his attention immediately and filled him with rage as he took in the familiar hiss._

 _"S-S-Severus-s-s." it said._

 _"No." said Snape clenching his fists. "You are dead, Potter ended you."_

 _"S-S-Severus-s-s." hissed the voice again taunting from the blackness._

 _"YOU'RE DEAD!" shouted Snape unnerved at the thought of something so vile as Voldemort surviving to do more damage to the world than he had in previous incarnations._

 _"YOU BETRAYED ME S-S-SEVERUS-S-S!" shouted the hissing voice belonging to none other than Voldemort. "YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIME AGAINST ME...YOU SHALL DIE FOR YOUR TREACHERY...S-S-SEVERUS-S-S!"_

 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts, Wizarding World..._

Poppy examined Snape several times. Aside from his usual cluster of physical scars and evidence of healed broken bones and muscle aches, he seemed to be healthy. There had been nothing the witch could do for the Potions Master physically anyway. Dumbledore noted the anomaly in Snape's magical energy. It appeared wrong somehow but he knew no one who had been able to help one with their magic, that field of medical study was not yet explored.

After several failed explanations and tests Poppy Pomfrey, Dumbledore, and Hermione Granger had been at their wits end when it came to what was ailing Snape. Minerva McGonagall had gotten word of Snape's condition and had come by for a visit. It had been quite some time since she had last seen the dour wizard, the last time being his trial for Albus' murder. She had yet to make amends for her accusations and subsequent abandonment of her favorite Slytherin git.

In truth Severus Snape had been like the unofficial adoptive child of her and Albus Dumbledore since his parents subsequent deaths and he became a ward of Hogwarts. While Minerva defended her Gryffindors tooth and nail, she developed a soft spot for the Slytherin mostly after his return to Hogwarts as a very young Potions Professor.

He had been quiet mostly reminiscent of the shy boy he use to be but there was no longer a glimer of hope behind his obsidian eyes. She guessed quite accurately later on that it had to do with Lily Potter's death at the hands of Voldemort. She would never forget the haunted look behind his obsidian eyes the day he ventured onto Hogwarts grounds as a full fledged adult.

That same look had been in his eyes when he had been on trial.

Minerva sighed as she ran her trembling hand across the seemingly sleep wizard's forehead. He had been sweating rather profusely and felt hot to the touch. She had heard the many theories that had come up concerning the younger wizard's aliment but none had ever considered the possibility of it being a mental affliction.

"Have you tried to heal his mind?" she asked looking at the others with new found conviction.

Dumbledore considered it.

"That would require a good deal of magic, and the mind is where one manifests the anchor to project magic out into the world." he said amazed at her suggestion. "Perhaps that is what is causing the anomaly in Severus' magic."

"How do we heal his mind?" asked Hermione with an arched eyebrow.

"Well we can't oliviate him." said Minerva thoughtful.

"What if we send someone to sift through what ever is causing the disturbance?" asked Hermione. "You know to unlock his mind."

"That is a brilliant idea Miss Granger." said Dumbledore approving of her initiative. "But also a very dangerous one...I'm afraid Severus' current mental state and already mistrusting nature mean that not just any one can venture into his mind."

"I'll do it." said Hermione. "I know him well enough...and he trusts me which is a lot more than I can say for any of you...no offense."

"None taken." replied Dumbledore contemplating once more.

"Albus, you cannot be seriously thinking of letting her do this." said a concerned Minerva.

"What other choice do we have Minerva?" asked Dumbledore. "Like it or not Miss Granger is the only one who might be able to reach Severus."

"You just said yourself there is no telling what is going on in that poor boy's mind." said Poppy chiming in. "How do we know that Miss Granger would fare well in there?"

"We just have to have a little faith." replied Dumbledore with a twinkle behind his blue eyes as he looked over at Hermione. "Miss Granger is Severus' best chance to beat this otherwise it will kill him straight away."

That earned a few collective gasps.

"Kill him?" asked Hermione shaken by how serious this was becoming.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Whatever is causing this is poisoning Severus' mind and slowly killing him with his own magic." explained The Headmaster. "We must reach him and put an end to this before it becomes any worse."

"Then I am ready when ever you are." said Hermione determined to aid Severus in any way that she can.

Dumbledore nodded.

"I didn't doubt it." he said with a small smile. "Severus means a good deal to you, I understand."

"He does." admitted Hermione without shame. "He means the world to me."

Minerva was stunned by this admission but said nothing. Her favorite Gryffindor had just stopped short of confessing herself to be in love with her former Potions Professor. Dumbledore smiled at the Transfigurations Professor and turned his attention back to Hermione.

"You don't have much time Miss Granger." he said getting down to business. "This projection spell is an ancient one and is quite limited, you have precisely eight hours to find whatever is poisoning Severus' mind and destroy it, you should be able to use your magic as long as you are in sync with Severus' magical flow...you must destroy whatever is causing this before the spell wares off and you are transported back here."

Hermione nodded.

"I got it Professor." she said.

"Severus was a former death eater, highly suspicious and greatly destructive." said Dumbledore. "There is no telling how he will react or what his mind's defenses will put up...tread carefully."

"I will." replied Hermione. "I'm ready."

Dumbledore sighed as he took one last look at Hermione.

"There is one more thing Miss Granger." he said. "If Severus manages to kill you in his mind, you will remain dead once the projection spell is canceled."

Hermione's eyes widened as she looked over at her sleeping lover. If this was the only way to save him she would do whatever it took to make him well again.

"I'm ready Professor." she said again with determination behind her amber eyes.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Do be careful Miss Granger." said Minerva in warning. "And keep your wits about you...Severus is not to be taken lightly no matter your current connection to him...he is still a Slytherin after all."

"I will Professor McGonagall." replied Hermione with a small smile. "Thank you."

Minerva nodded once in her direction. As much as she hated this, she knew it was the only option to save Severus from whatever this was. And despite her protests, Hermione was determined to save her wizard even if it mean the cost of her own life, such was the Gryffindor way.

"Good luck Miss Granger." said Poppy Pomfrey monitoring Severus as she looked up at the young witch. "Do come back safely."

"Will do thanks Madam Pomfrey." replied Hermione before she turned her attention back to Dumbledore.

"Good luck Miss Granger." he said with his blue eyes twinkling. "I look forward to your return."

"Thank you Professor Dumbledore." she said. "For everything."

Dumbledore nodded and she took her position a safe distance from the others and closer to Severus.

"Remember my words, Miss Granger." said The Headmaster then he waved his wand and cast the projection spell. " _Mentis peregrinus."_

Hermione closed her amber eyes as the world around she shifted and eventually distorted. The last thing she recalled outside the flashes of everyone in the room's familiar faces was a bright light blue glow and then nothing. She had by all accounts passed out during the trip. The trouble was in her unconscious state she had no idea where that trip had taken her.


	50. Chapter 49:A Drift In Madness

**Chapter 48:** _ **A Drift In**_ ** _Madness_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...this chapter is a bit twisted...fair warning...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"All The Lawyer Are Defenseless...All The Doctor Are Diseased...And The Preachers All Are Sinners...And Police Just Take The Grease...All The Judges You Are Guilty...All The Bosses I Would Fire...All Your Banks Will Have Losses...Politicians All Are Liars...I See Darkness Falling...I Hear Voices Calling..."} Voices, Revelation Theory**_

 _Unknown Location, Unknown World..._

 _ **W**_ hen Hermione Granger awoke, she found herself surrounded by a seemingly endless sea of total darkness. The bushy haired witch cautiously made her way to her feet unsure if what she stood upon had been a variation of solid ground. The darkness made it near impossible to tell if movement was wise and to attempt something without having a better understanding could most definitely result in her premature death. As the witch tested the "ground" beneath her feet, she found herself noting that it had indeed been sturdy enough for her to stand on and apply the full brunt of her weight. She stepped tentatively and tested, she found herself coming into contact with what appeared to be a slick sticky substance. Frozen by fear for a moment, the witch fumbled into her pockets and produced her wand. Silently thanking Merlin for the presence of mind to pack it upon her person, she held it tight and cast a charm to enable her to see despite the creeping warm sense of fear that took hold of her. With goose-pimples lining her trembling arms, Hermione cast the charm.

 _"Lumos!"_ she said in a voice not at all portraying the fear she felt bubbling within her stomach.

With deep slow breaths she took in the sight of the black "floor" below her. It was slick and shiny, like a heavily polished dress shoe someone like Lucius Malfoy would have worn prior to the war. She noted a strange crimson substance streaking through the center of the "floor". It occurred to her that this was what she had stepped in prior to getting out her wand and she cringed.

Upon further investigation, she noted the strange crimson substance seemed to be moving, it had been condensed into a small barely visible stream and appeared to be flowing toward her in slow motion. With her amber eyes on the apparent horizon she could barely make out what appeared to be a dilapidated house made mostly of brick. Fearing what has become of Severus, Hermione made her way toward the house using her wand to produce a sort of illuminated brick path to guide her steps and ensure that she wouldn't fall into the dark abyss that surrounded her. The small stream of blood seemed to be flowing from the house itself noted the bushy haired witch as she got closer.

The house appeared quite large and rather menacing. As she reached the first concrete steps. Blood had covered them dying the cement crimson as she stood trying desperately to ignore that the substance had been on the bottom of her formerly white trainers. Still exercising caution Hermione gripped her wand tight in her hand prepared to unleash hex after hex should something come for her from inside. Steeling her jumbling nerves, Hermione raised her free hand and attempted to knock on the large wooden door.

Much to her shock, before the skin of her knuckles could even graze the wood, the door opened seemingly of it's own accord.

Still holding tight to her wand, Hermione took a tentative step forward.

 _Inside The Dilapidated Brick House..._

She had not liked the look of the house before her, the scent of old wood and worn leather caught her nose as soon as the door halted near the wall. Knowing entering this place was a bad idea, Hermione steeled herself and took another step inside. As much as it had been a bad idea, it seemed to be the only way forward and she needed to go forward if she was ever going to find Severus.

As Hermione took her second step inside the darkened house, the sound of hard wood floor boards creaked and caused her to jump rather violently still clutching her wand ready to pounce on whatever had made the noise. No sooner had she jumped, the front door shut itself and locked in place. Filled with panic, the bushy haired witch raced over toward the door and tried desperately to get herself out but to no avail. In her various attempts to get free of this dreadful place she was making a good deal of noise.

"You have to be quiet." said a soft voice in the darkness.

Hermione whirled around and trained her wand in the direction in which the voice came.

The bushy haired witch found herself face to face with a pale, thin boy with lengthy wild raven hair who looked to be of about ten with weary obsidian eyes. The witch had been shocked into relative silence.

"You have to be quiet or he'll hear you." continued the boy as if ignoring her shocked expression. "If he hears you he'll hurt you."

Sensing the seriousness in the boy's tone, Hermione pulled herself together still stunned by his appearance.

"S-Severus?" she said taking a wild and very accurate guess about the ten year old before her.

The boy tilted his head like that of a confused dog then narrowed his obsidian eyes in her direction.

"How do you know my name?" he asked mistrust evident in his tone.

"I-I know you very well." replied Hermione as quietly as she could manage. "I-I we...are friend...very good friends..."

"I wasn't aware that I had very many friends." he replied. "Aside from Lily that is."

He suddenly took in what he could of her appearance.

"Y-You aren't Lily are you?" he asked tentatively. "As...as a grown up?"

Hermione smiled sweetly at him.

"No Severus." she replied. "My name's Hermione...you and I become friends when you grow up."

Ten Year old Severus considered this as she looked her over once more. Hermione had not missed the note of heat behind the young boy's obsidian eyes.

"I suppose I could do worse in terms of a friend." said Severus.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Apparently Severus was gifted with dark humor even at the age of ten.

"Can I ask you something?" asked Hermione.

Severus arched an eyebrow at her.

"Aren't you doing just that?" he countered.

Hermione noted that she had walked right into that.

"Who is the HE you are referring to?" she asked.

Severus suddenly went silent his body tense almost like he had seen a ghost.

"Don't." he said finding his voice at last. "Don't speak of him or he'll come down here."

"Maybe I can help you." said Hermione.

Severus shook his head.

"No." he replied. "No one can help me."

Hermione had been about to interject when Severus suddenly glanced at the top of the stair.

"You have to hide." he whispered. "Hide and whatever happens don't come out."

"Severus let me help you." she insisted.

The ten year old wasn't hearing any of it. He quickly walked Hermione to what appeared to be a hall closet and pushed her inside. She had been stunned when the boy used wand-less magic to lock her inside. Outside the door she could hear voices. One voice was of a grown man, his tone was furious and she could tell by the slur of his words that he had been both drunk and enraged.

{"DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO KEEP THE NOISE DOWN FREAK!"} shouted the angry drunken man.

{"I-I'm sorry father."} replied ten year old Severus.

{"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"} shouted the drunken man.

Hermione heard the sounds of flesh being struck and knew instantly that the drunk had hit the ten year old boy. Feeling rage of her own, Hermione attempted to get out of the closet and assist the boy but it was to no avail. They could neither hear her nor would the door open. Feeling the mounting fear build within her, the bushy haired witch used her wand to escape the confines of the hall closet.

Once she emerged from the darkened door she found herself in a more homely setting of a sitting room. The hard wood floor had been more pronounced as she stepped across it.

She could see the minimal spaced sitting room lined with threadbare furniture and a small shelf packed with books of every sort. It appeared to be an old collection, one that someone had and carried with them as opposed to a well amassed one. The bushy haired witch stepped cautiously into the sitting room and made her way toward the creaky wooden stairs that lead all the way up to the second floor. Curiosity filled her about this strange house and the people that inhabited it.

What she had known of Spinner's End was simply theoretical knowledge and history considering what Harry had seen in Snape's mind during the occulemency lessons. The rest had been from reports in The Daily Prophet about the place being burned to the ground via violent mobs wanting justice for Snape's murdering of Dumbledore.

Slowly, and carefully, Hermione inched her way up the creaking wood stairs. She got to the first level and came across a hall with four doors. One door was obviously too the loo, the other was a hall closet and one on the far left side of the hall away from the stairs and one on the right nearest to the stairs.

Taking a wild guess and adamantly wishing not to run into the drunken man whom had inspired great fear in everyone that lived inside this dreary house, Hermione made her way to the door on the left furthest from the stairs. It seemed the ideal place to hide when she heard the familiar sound of the front door slam shut and hurried foot steps behind her on the stairs.

 _The Room On The Left..._

Once inside she made her way to the small door-less closet and ducked behind the rows of tattered coats and robes. When she looked up from a small space where she could see the door she had entered, she was stunned to find that it swung open rather violently. Footsteps proceeded the door slamming shut and someone made their way over to the small brass twin bed by the wall. Hermione had gotten only a glimpse of her surroundings but she found herself in a room surrounded by various posters of rock musicians and dark themed portraits. It had occurred to the witch that she was in the bedroom of a teenager rather than a ten year old boy.

Her suspicions were confirmed when suddenly a deep baritone voice caught her attention. It was a pale version of the deep baritone drawl she would come to know during her first year at Hogwarts and thence forward, but it was unmistakable none the less.

"Come out...come out where ever you are." it said almost taunting her. "I know you're in here... _Mudblood_."

Hermione's eyes widened as she realized Snape was a full fledged death eater in his youth and not at all repentant about his actions. Teenage Snape was evidently getting impatient as he paced his floor.

"You have until the count of one." said the enraged teen.

Before he could go any further, Hermione made herself known.

"Alright." she said holding her hands in the air as she came from his closet.

The bushy haired witch had been stunned to find herself staring into the obsidian eyes of a 16 year old Severus Snape. A twisted smile filed across his sallow pale face.

"Well, well." said Teen Snape circling her like a vulture would it's prey. "A _Mudblood_ who dares to hid in the lair of the Half-Blood Prince...this is my lucky day."

"I wish you wouldn't call me that." she said. "You don't even like the word yourself, my name is Hermione."

The 16 year old studied her incredulously.

"What do you know about me?" he asked. "You're just a..."

"I know that you are studying to become a Potions Master." said Hermione confidently, "That you name is Severus Sebastian Snape, and you have recently joined Tom Riddle's Death Eaters, a move that cost you the love and respect of your only childhood friend Lily Evans...I know that you have created your fair share of charms and hexes despite having a constant dislike of "foolish wand waving and silly incantations"."

Teen Snape arched an eyebrow at her in shock.

Feeling she had him, Hermione continued.

"You call yourself The Half-Blood Prince because it is a moniker based off your mother's maiden name from her _Pureblood_ family and your blood status considering you have a muggle father."

Teen Snape narrowed his obsidian eyes in her direction.

"How do you know any of this?" he asked clearly enraged by her keen insight into his personal life.

"I know all of this because for several years you were my Potions Professor when I attended Hogwarts." said Hermione. "And some time after...much more."

Teen Snape flashed Hermione a rather wicked grin.

"Define much more." he said already guessing the implication but wanting to see how far he could push this witch to say.

"We are intimate." said the bushy haired witch already knowing his antics. "We shag on a regular basis...I know what your cock looks like...is that what you want to hear?"

Teen Snape seemed satisfied with her vulgar answer and flashed her an eerie smile.

Before Hermione could protest Teen Snape scooped her up and tossed her onto his bed. His obsidian eyes heated with lust. Hermione tried her best to ignore his antics and focus on the mission at hand. He joined her shortly there after kissing her neck like so many times before.

"What are you doing here...insufferable know it all?" he asked sounding a lot like his adult self. "Why have you entered my mind?"

"I wanted to help you." said Hermione reveling in the sensation he was causing to run though her body. "You're having too many black outs."

Teen Snape sighed.

"Then He is finally taking control." he said in a weary tone.

His words had not been lost on Hermione.

"Who is HE?" she asked with an arched eyebrow of her own.

"HE is the bad man." said the voice of ten year old Snape as he stepped from the shadows.

Teen Snape rolled his eyes.

"Don't you ever knock?" he asked greatly annoyed.

"It's my room too." replied the raven haired boy.

Hermione looked back n forth between them.

"Can't you see that I'm entertaining." said Teen Snape.

"She came to check on me." countered Ten year old Snape.

"Boys." said Hermione unable to take much more of the bickering. "Will one of you tell me where we are and what is going on here?"

Teen Snape sighed resigned to the fact that he wouldn't be getting laid after all. He sat back on the bed letting Hermione sit up and fix her shirt. Ten Year old Snape simply smiled sweetly at her and began to speak.

"You are in our head." he said. "HE is the bad man who wants to take control...we fight him but there is only so much a ten year old and a hormonal teen can do."

"Do you know where big Severus...where my Severus is?" asked Hermione.

Teen Snape rolled his eyes.

"It his fault all this is happening." he said bitterly. "Some Slytherin he turned out to be...he's got more guilt then the entire house of Gryffindors."

"Guilt?" asked the bushy haired witch. "What has him feeling so guilty?"

"You'll have to ask that stupid sod." replied Teen Snape. "I am doing just fine...especially now that Tobias is gone...all the booze I could drink and all the trim I could sink my cock into."

Hermione studied Teen Snape for a moment.

"You." she said suddenly understanding whom her boyfriend had in control of his actions for so long.

Teen Snape smirked.

"Can't get enough of my cock can you witch?" he asked smugly.

"Can't get enough wine can you, arrogant git?" she asked annoyed.

Noting her distaste for his drinking habit Teen Snape simply shrugged.

"I like to have fun." he said. "It's not my fault your boyfriend's a massive control freak."

"There is nothing wrong with a little self-control." said Hermione.

"Look who's talking." replied Teen Snape. "One second out of the closet and I already had you on your back ready to spread your legs for me."

Even Ten year old Snape agreed that had been worth a laugh.

"Unbelievable." said Hermione. "Once a git apparently always a git."

"And you like it." replied Teen Snape. "Don't pretend you don't...it's why we have you."

The bushy haired witch rolled her eyes.

"Back to business boy." she said. "We have to find my Severus and put things right here."

"Easy for you to say." said Teen Snape. "Your lover boy's been captured by HIM."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Who is the HIM and HE that you keep referring to?" she asked annoyed.

"He's the bad man." said Ten year old Snape. "He wants to control us...to make us bad too."

This made Hermione consider a few things.

"This bad man...he doesn't look like a snake does he?" she asked. "Or go by the name Voldemort?"

Ten year old Snape's eyes widened.

Hermione knew right then that this wasn't going to be good. If Voldemort had done something to inhabit Snape's body the wizarding world was doomed and this time there was no prophecy to cling to in the hopes of defeating him, Harry Potter would be completely useless in this regard.

The bushy haired hoped beyond all hope that this wasn't the case. But Snape's ability to speak Parseltongue was giving off big warning signs. Harry himself only spoke Parseltongue due to Voldemort having made him an accidental Horcrux.


	51. Chapter 50:When The Guilty Lie In Loath

**Chapter 50:** _ **When The Guilty Lie In Loathe**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...Had to get rid of my cat, Severus, for those of you who do not remember...he inspired the animagus chapter of this tale...due to a slum lord's nonsense, needless to say I am not in a very pleasant mood...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"I know I hate you...I can't escape you...You bring me emptiness...and nothing I've become...I can't resist it...I wouldn't miss it...It's finally coming out the darkness and the cold...You can't break me...taking hold...of it all...I've finally gone straight down...I can't deny it... I lie in loathe..."}Loathe, Rev Theory**_

 _Unknown Location, Unknown World..._

 _ **T**_ he obsidian eyes of Severus Snape opened to find him surrounded in the abyss. The Potions Master had no expression nor any sign of alarm at his current surroundings that filed across his pale face. Snape was as indifferent to his hellish situation as always. He knew all too well, the darkness that had lurked inside of him. It did little to make him wish for things that any normal man had been accustomed to, such as the pleasures of a woman, the feel of coming home to a house full of loving family members, he didn't need the illusions as pleasant as they were. Those were for wizards like Arthur Weasley who's life had been complete with his house full of red haired children all close and loving in their displays of affection for each other. Severus knew from an early age that he was not that sort of wizard. His time with the death eaters and in service to both Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore proved that he was more or less in the other class of wizards. A class like his father should have been in the "Do not attempt to approach for anything aside from meaningless sex class."

"You are awfully quite, Severus." said a familiar voice in the depths of the abyss. "Are you by any chance overwhelmed by the sense of hopelessness and shock for your inevitable doom."

Snape arched an eyebrow at this though he had not been in the least impressed by whatever this was.

"Is there a point to this endless drivel?" he asked in an emotionless tone.

Whatever had been wrapped in the darkest reaches of the abyss hissed enraged at his insolence.

"INSOLENT LITTLE HALF BLOOD FREAK!" shouted the angry entity.

Snape rolled his eyes realizing just whom the voice belonged.

"Hello Tobias." he said with a noted lack of surprise.

From the shadows stepped the figured known as "Tobias Snape" with a fixated glare of outright hatred.

He looked every much the same as a formerly six year old Severus remembered him being when he witnessed the ferocious man slap his mother across her pale face sending her falling onto the cold kitchen floor because she wasn't moving fast enough to hand him his umpteenth beer...then he hit her again when she didn't grab the coldest one he had specified when he sent her to retrieve it.

Tobias was a tall man, his build had been all together impressive and he had what one would describe as "rugged good looks." The potions Master had been of similar height, though he took more after his mother in terms of looks. Her sallow pale flesh and raven hair had been inherited by him not to mention the obsidian eyes that many a woman thought to get themselves lost in when he took them to bed. Tobias Snape's hair had been lengthy much like his son's but neatly kept.

Snape smirked as he watched Tobias with renewed interest. It had been years since he had seen the brute face to face, the last time being when he effectively ended his life. Even with Matthias admitting that he had cured Tobias and turned him into the subsequent heartless brute that beat his wife and son on many drunken nights, this image of Tobias was all that Severus had ever known and therefore the subject of immense hatred.

They shared the same coldness and volatile temperament.

Despite Snape's best efforts to quell the darker parts of himself, it was clear he had indeed inherited his father's curse.

"Shouldn't you be rotting in hell somewhere old man?" asked Severus as a surge of rage filled him at last.

Tobias smirked.

"Funny." he said amused. "I should be asking the same of you."

"I was rejected." said Snape almost bitterly. "Of course that still doesn't explain you."

"To be rejected from hell is quite the feat." said Tobias with a begrudging fondness. "You are even a freak among monsters and demons."

"To each his own." replied Snape with less emotion that the initial spark at seeing his so called father again. "Of course I had know for years why you found it necessary to resent your own son...your inadequacies...do little to impress...is that why you were so fond of hitting my mother?"

"Shut up!" shouted Tobias enraged. "You will show me some respect you little shit."

"Is that suppose to be intimidating?" asked Snape in an emotionless tone. "I've been more terrified paroling the corridors of Hogwarts during off term hours with only Albus and Minerva attending the castle."

Tobias arched an eyebrow at this. Snape saw briefly where he had gotten the gesture.

With a wave of his hand the enraged elder Snape brought his unruly son to his knees. Snape rolled his eyes feeling pain shoot through his battered form. He still had been unimpressed by the gesture having endured much worse under the command of the dark lord.

"Are you quite finished?" he asked in a bored tone. "You're going to have to do better than that Mud-born."

The enraged Tobias smirked rather suddenly.

"Well it appears you do have something of a spine." he said sounding impressed. "Too bad it won't do you any good."

"He's right you know S-S-Severus-s-s." hissed a familiar voice in the abyss.

Severus Snape's obsidian eyes widened as a familiar coldness washed over him.

 _"Kura ans...Bana ans...snart ans..."_ hissed the same voice in parseltongue.

 _"Bana ans..."_ hissed Snape in reply.

 _"Solutis doloribus!"_ came the words that made Snape collapse onto his back.

The Potions Master glared up at the snake faced man with red glowing eyes.

 _"Bana ans..."_ hissed Snape in Parseltongue. " _Snart ans...snart ans hesleuf..."_

The Potions Master found himself losing consciousness as the abyss engulfed him in it's darkened fury.

 _Elsewhere..._

Hermione had a sense of urgency come over her as she and her two companions made their way through the constructed memories of Spinner's End. They narrowly avoided Tobias Snape and his drunken rampage. The bushy haired witch could only imagine what it must have been like for Severus growing up. Living in constant fear of that brute and being poverty stricken.

She knew she had to find a way to reach him. Everything he had been holding in since he was a small child was obviously unhealthy.

"Which way did he go?" she asked the ten year old version of her lover.

"Hogwarts." replied the boy.

Hermione arched an eyebrow at the boy much like he had her upon their first meeting.

"Well let's go." she said staring at the looming castle in the far off distance.

"He can't go there." said Teen Snape with a bored expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Well think about it love, he's ten." replied Teen Snape.

Hermione looked at Ten year old Snape and then suddenly remembered why he couldn't join them. Hogwarts letters went out on a witch or wizard's eleventh birthday. Ten Year old Snape was just a year shy of Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry, I forgot." she said turning her attention to the child version of her lover.

Ten Year Old Snape simply smiled.

"You go on." he said. "I'll be okay."

"What about..." started Hermione.

"I can take care of myself." he replied. "Besides your the one who's out of sorts here."

Teen Snape folded his arms across his ebony clad chest.

"He does have a point you know." he added.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"When I find my Severus...we'll come back for you." she said.

Ten Year Old Snape nodded absently. He did not seem to like the idea of being left behind with Tobias Snape and all the pain of her Severus' childhood. Yet he knew there was no other choice.

Hermione kissed the boy on his pale cheek and ventured toward Hogwarts Teen Snape in tow. It had not escaped her notice how literal her lover had been even in the wake of his own memories.

 _In The Abyss..._

Snape opened his eyes to find that he had been transported to what he knew to be his former cell back at Azkaban. The familiar sensation of cold iron digging tightly into the flesh of his wrists had been the first thing he noted. The second had been the sting of his usual beating at the hands of the guards. They had been particularly nasty this time around, mostly due to it being reminiscent of his first few days imprisoned. The murder of Albus Dumbledore had still been fresh in everyone's minds and he was undesirable number one.

The empty gray cell was his home for more than five years. All thinks to the efforts of Harry James Potter.

The crimson of his blood stained the otherwise lack-luster gray stone floor. The Potions Master's thoughts turned to a certain bushy haired witch. He could not figure out why she had been the only one who had believed him to be innocent. Even when Potter made it his business to ambush him on the battle field, she had been there stopping the arrogant prat before he killed him.

The mud from that day still clung to his pale flesh.

He had long sense become numb to the various aspects of pain inflicted upon him. Wither it had been beatings or curses, Severus felt none of it as much as his tormentors had wanted him to. The perks of being loathed and abused since birth most likely. What he had with Hermione on the other hand had been quite the opposite. She was one of the few people that had not tried to cause any sort of anguish be it mental or physical. The others had been the Malfoys Lucius and Narcissa. Rare gems in a world that seemed to hate the pale wizard from the moment he took his first breath.

He wondered what she had been up to. He could sense her presence more strongly than he use to. It was common knowledge that she was constantly worried about him. Her protective nature had been in place during his imprisonment though she could do little about his treatment.

"Hermione." he said as his thought became more focused on the bushy haired witch with whom he shared a bed.

He had no idea that she was well on her way to rescue him and cure him of whatever this was that was eating away at him.


	52. Chapter 51:The Pains Of Adolescence

**Chapter 51:** _ **The Pains Of**_ ** _Adolescence_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...I know long awaited update...late post...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"It Hurts To Breathe...Every Time That You're Not Next To Me...Her Mind's Made Up...The Girl Is Gone...And Now I'm Forced To See...I Think I'm On My Way...Oh It Hurts To Live Today...And She Said...Don't You Wish You Were Dead Like Me...You Left Me To Remain With All Your Excuses For Everything...I Remember The Day You Told Me It's Over...I Wanted More Than This...I Needed More Than This...I Deserve More Than This...But It Just Won't Stop...It Just Won't Go Away...I Needed More Than This...I Wanted More Than This...I Asked For More Than This...But It Just Won't Stop...It Just Won't Go Away..."}Santa Monica, Theory Of A Deadman**_

 _Unknown Location, Unknown World..._

 _ **H**_ ermione had immediately recognized the appearance of Hogwarts castle. The place had been massive and given vivid detail the lighting suggested a place of refuge unlike the nightmarish appearance of Spinner's End in Snape's youth. The bushy haired witch noted the halls filled with various memories. She had not been surprised to find herself pulled into the early seventies with a teenage Snape rolling his eyes as they stepped onto the familiar grounds. He had seemed to become even more bitter as they neared the entrance of the school.

"Why do we have to come here?" he asked annoyed. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get good booze in this place?"

"Quiet." said Hermione already annoyed. "You don't need any of that stuff any way...if you ask me it's what got you into this mess."

"Well...no one asked you." grumbled teen Snape with all the bored gesturing of his adult self included. "Insufferable know it all."

Hermione tried to bite back a smile as she turned her attention to focusing on Hogwarts as it was in the 1970's, as it was in Snape's surprisingly detailed and deranged mind. The grass had been the same bright green as always when she and Teenage Snape made their way across the grounds and through the familiar part of the castle that both knew all too well.

Teen Snape had only gotten halfway through the corridor when he was suddenly seized by the collar and hauled into a nearby area of the castle without much traffic from students or staff alike. Moving quickly Hermione followed him not sure how to navigate the school without him. She had heard the stories of Snape's difficult youth from Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Even Draco had shed some light on the dour wizard's tragic past while they awaited an appeal from his stay in Azkaban.

The amber eyes of the bushy haired witch came upon the sight of four familiar faces, well one familiar due to association and the other three being definitely along the lines of the familiar. She easily recognized James Potter, Harry had his face but not his eyes. She took in the spectical that was Sirius Black, a constant flirt and one of the main aggressors as far as she could see with Snape backed into a corner. It shocked her to see how Remus Lupin, her former Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor, a usually quiet and compassionate man in her time had been arrogant and bullying like the rest of his friends which included the treacherous Peter Pettigrew whom she had known mostly as Ron's pet rat Scabbers.

The Marauders and owners of Harry's prized map had been there in the flesh so to speak, Sirius Black taunting and wielding his wand on the teen Snape with ruthless aggression. She noted how tense Sirius and Snape had been during their days as members of The Order of Phoenix occupying the same space and often getting into boiling conflict. Seeing first hand why her Severus hated the arrogant git was a strange experience to say the least.

"Hello Snivellus." taunted Sirius Black with a wicked grin as his lengthy locks fell to his shoulders much as they did in his adult days. "What have we told you about venturing to our side of the school."

"Yeah Snivellus, what have we told you?" asked James glaring murderously at him. "You weren't by any chance thinking of talking to Lily."

"Trying to offer up your petty little apologies." taunted Sirius. "No doubt that she was of sound mind and rejected your blood splattered words."

"Fuck you...Black." said Teen Snape narrowing his obsidian eyes at the younger Sirius.

"What are you saying Snivellus?" asked Sirius with a wicked smirk. "Are you admitting that you are some kind of...poof?"

Teen Snape narrowed his eyes at the handsome Gryffindor.

"No Black that's your department." spat the teenage Snape bitterly.

A furious Sirius Black grabbed his wand and immediately started hexing the Slytherin.

The baffled other members of the little foursome started hexing away at Snape as well.

After a few moments it seemed the hexes did little to quell Sirius Black's fury as he immediately began to physically beat Snape who had already been weak from his efforts to block their hexes. James Potter grabbed Snape by the arms and Sirius began to brutally beat the poor teen until he was nearly unconscious.

Hermione had seen enough as she watched her former Potions Professor get ganged up on by her former Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor Remus Lupin, Her best friend's godfather Sirius Black whom she saved from Azkaban, Ron's Rat Scabbers, and Harry's Dad deceased dad who had looked so much like him it was no wonder Snape hated Harry. It was like his tormentor never left.

Seeing enough Hermione quickly drew her wand and aimed it at the four Gryffindors.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" she said enraged that they could even count themselves among members of her house and acted more like _Pureblood_ thugs...ironically what she always associated the Slytherins to be. "Leave him alone."

The young version of Sirius Black narrowed his eyes at her.

"What's the big idea coming in and taking out all our fun lass?" he asked. "This greasy git deserves to be put in his place...lest he start thinking he's better than what he is."

"You touch him again I will hex you into oblivion." said Hermione with a nasty glare of her own. "You four put Gryffindor house to shame."

It was a shame that most of these boys were dead otherwise she'd teach them a lesson they'd never forget.

"She's sweet on him." said James Potter with a look of disgust filed across his face. "No real Gryffindor would ever consort with the likes of him."

Hermione had been about to ask him how he knew she had been a Gryffindor when she noted the school robes she now wore as she stood between them and Severus. He had been hurt pretty bad, with some broken bones and a few cuts to boot.

"I'm taking him to the infirmary." she said bitterly. "You four jerks just stay away."

Teen Snape had been enraged that she interfered. Teen or not his ever present sense of pride despite his apparent circumstances had been as bad as when he had been an adult.

"I don't need your help _Mudblood_." he spat bitterly not realizing what he was saying.

"But you are going to get it half-blood jerk." she countered unaffected by the word that had ended his friendship with Lily Evans not so long ago.

Teen Snape looked at her as if she had been too good to be true.

"Y-You didn't run..." he said well and truly stunned by her strength of character.

Hermione shrugged citing it as no big deal. She had heard the word plenty of times while fighting against death eaters in the second wizarding war, not to mention Draco had often referred to her by those terms in a bid to hurt her feelings to compensate for his lack of intellect in her presence.

"I've been called worse." she replied. "I would you believe me when I tell you that being known as Snape's whore was the the most popular insult yet...of course nothing compares to insufferable know-it-all but I think that one is by far my favorite?"

She treated him to a warm smile reflecting on the many times Snape had addressed her in such a fashion when he had still been her Professor at Hogwarts. Teen Snape shook his head. He had believed that this witch was indeed too good to be true. Hermione lead him toward the infirmary and had been surprised to see a slightly younger version of the Madam Pomfrey she had always known since she was aged 12 awaiting them.

"Hello Severus." said the slightly younger med-witch with a pleasant smile. "I see you've brought another friend."

Teen Snape eyed her rather suspiciously for a moment then nodded. He had not quite known how he was to explain Hermione Jean Granger being at the Hogwarts of his era, but this was of course unsettling to note that she could be seen by the others that occupied the darkened corridors of his mind past and present it seems.

"S-She's..." he started scrambling for a way to explain his sudden interest in another witch.

"I know who Miss Granger is." said Madam Pomfrey with a smile in the bushy haired witch's direction. "Just as surely as you do boy...I did see after her during her second year after all."

Teen Snape simply sighed. This was the strangest set of circumstances he had ever been in and two wizarding wars with two powerful wizards at his heel had not been enough to top it.

"It's good to see you Madam Pomfrey. " said Hermione rather nervously.

The old med-witch smiled at her. Her eyes kind as she seemed to understand everything that Severus was going through. Hermione had been surprised that Madam Pomfrey had been given such keen insight into Severus' mind's eye...it seemed that they were quite close in the real world.

"Taking care of this one I see." she said. "Good luck to you dear...he's a real handful."

"He's worth it to me." replied Hermione smiling at Teen Snape who looked away as the red color of his cheeks became evident.

The bushy haired witch looked over the teenage wizard with intense curiosity.

 _Strange. He seems so modest when it comes to being around the Med-witch._

"See that old sod you're lucky to have her." said Madam Pomfrey to Snape directly.

She set to work patching the young Snape up and sending him and Hermione on their way. As they left the infirmary, Hermione could not shake the feeling that Madam Pomfrey knew a lot more about her relationship with Severus than she let on. It also seemed as if she were privy to information beyond the time frame presented by Snape's distorted mind.

They continued on their path toward the great hall well aware that Snape's mind was ever shifting and changing to accommodate his vastly detailed memories. _Apparently, I am not the only insufferable know-it-all._ Thought Hermione as she and Teen Snape entered the fully detailed Great Hall of Hogwarts castle. She had not known what to expect but she knew that if she kept moving she would eventually find a way to help Severus.

 _Elsewhere..._

Snape had found himself staring into the eyes of Tobias Snape as the older man recounted his misdeeds one by one. The real bit was him telling him how he needed to be punished as a child and why he felt it necessary to break a seven year old's ribs for having a nightmare and being afraid of it. Of course his treatment had moved on to far worse things by the time Snape reached the age of thirteen. Ironically, the Potions Master felt something shift in the dark world that surrounded him.

Blood had been dripping from his various wounds at the hands of this deranged phantom. His mind had felt as if it were caving in on itself but that had not been was coming and he had not known how to greet it wither it had been friend or foe had been up for debate. Despite all that seemed to be happening to him, he felt an odd sense of calm wash-over him. A calm he had only felt in the presence of one person since his release from Azkaban, Hermione Granger.


	53. Chapter 52:Lithium

**Chapter 52:** _ **Lithium**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...I know long awaited update...late post...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"I'm so happy 'cause today...I've found my friends,...They're in my head...I'm so ugly, that's okay, 'cause so are you,...Broke our mirrors...Sunday morning is everyday for all I care,...And I'm not scared...Light my candles in a daze...'Cause I've found god...I like it, I'm not gonna crack...I miss you, I'm not gonna crack...I love you, I'm not gonna crack...I killed you, I'm not gonna crack..."} Lithium, Nirvana**_

 _Unknown Location, Unknown World..._

 _ **S**_ creams filled the empty halls that surrounded Severus Snape as he looked about his make-shift Azkaban cell. He had been seemingly unaffected by their intent as he sat silent in the darkness. He looked down at his familiar pale hands calloused from so many years of hardship and potions work. The slick crimson of blood glistened rather strangely in the cell despite the lack of light. Though in the light of the moon it had appeared quite black. The tight iron fetters on the ends of his long suffering wrists had been all but welcome as Severus Snape struggled against the sight before him. There had been more blood than he could have ever imagined and at the base of his cold bare feet had been a lifeless corpse with cold dead eyes and a twist of a grimace. Outwardly the Potions Master simply weathered this strange sight as he had many things that had garnered his distaste over the years, his sallow pale face a blank mask before the world as always.

"Severus..." said the voice of Eileen Snape as she looked up from the now detailed kitchen floor.

Snape looked around to find himself in the center of his mother's kitchen back at Spinner's End. Her blood had been everywhere pooling despite a now 16 year old Potions Master's efforts to put it back into the dripping gashes along her pale flesh caused by the knife that had been used to end her life. A knife that had been wielded by Tobias Snape.

Snape continued to try rather frantically to save his mother but it was to no avail. The fleeting glimpse of her had become the lifeless corpse at the base of his feet once more. The teen aged Severus Snape had recalled that day in very good detail. He had left the house and went to visit Lily. He gave not a hint of the current state of affairs in which he found himself in. His mother had been dead and he simply walked out the door as if he had never stumbled upon her corpse. The look of release had been one that he envied quite a bit in later years.

As Snape again turned and walked out the front door of his former home at Spinner's End, he stepped out into the open darkness where he came in contact with Lily Evans. She had not known that he had been drinking when he arrived at her home. He had done a good job of hiding the abuse and the ever worsening situation at home for years. Of course looking back Snape guessed that either she was really either too self absorbed to notice or he had been a master of deception even then.

Like before Lily appeared as if she had burst out of her door like she had that day and grabbed him by the hand. She took no notice of the blood that had still been on his hand. Some had been smeared on her own palms but she behaved no differently as she lead him to the familiar cave where he had first taken her at her request. It was a day with a series of firsts that would have been pleasant on a good day with someone else experiencing them.

Snape had been simply looking for a distraction to avoid what he would inevitably have to face once word reached the magical authorities. His mother was dead and his father was off doing Merlin knows what...there was no love loss between the two Snape men...Tobias simply wanted Severus gone and would not hesitate to end him the way he had Eileen.

No.

Snape could not return home.

Not for a number of years with an adequate amount of blood on his hands.

The familiar scene of Snape and Lily's frantic and rather amateur coupling had taken place and then there was more blood. It seemed to be ever present despite the mutual bliss of Snape finally getting to bed the love of his life or rather the witch whom he had believed to have been the love of his life.

The Potions Master had been thrown off by the fact that it had not happened like it did during that time. Falling prey once more to the distortion of his sickly mind, Snape was treated to the sight of a dead Lily Evans beneath him as he reached his rather hurried end. She had been covered in blood as it oozed from her eyes, her ears, and her nose and mouth respectively.

Snape jumped back finding himself aged to 21 years this time as he fumbled in the darkness feeling only the slick crimson that continued to stain his hands.

The raven haired wizard jumped to his feet and immediately ran out the door only to be found by a hissing Voldemort whom had smiled as the next instant he had been standing above Tobias Snape with his heart fulled with rage and his hands bloodied from exacting his revenge on the murderous bastard that had taken his mother from him and made their lives a living hell for so long.

"Bana ans..." hissed Voldemort in approval.

Snape could almost feel the eerie chill of the despot's hand or what passed for one any way upon his shoulder.

It was the first time someone other than Lily had touched him and it had not been in a bid to cause him harm.

Snape it seemed to only cause more blood to soak his hands making them feel sticky and as if they had belonged to another.

"Snart ans..." hissed Snape closing his eyes and letting the only positive image flood his already dark mind with light.

Almost as soon as he had done this the heavy scent of jasmine filled his nostrils and his focus drifted toward the source. He made his way out of the cell and stayed in the shadows as he sought out the witch whom had come for him.

 _Hogwarts Castle, Scotland, The Abyss..._

Hermione had been looking about for the teen aged version of her apparently ill lover as she made her way about the halls. She had been so busy with trying to find Teen Severus, she neglected to watch out for signs of danger as Sirius Black's dark eyes settled upon her from a distance. He had his wand drawn and had been primed for an all out assault via magical spells that would make the lot of the Hogwarts students envious. As he got ready to send off the spell, Sirius Black found himself flung clear across the corridor.

The bushy haired witch turned around to find Teen Snape with his wand drawn and a sinister expression on his face.

"Thought I wouldn't catch you Black?" asked Teen Snape still with the same sinister expression. "Like I'd let you hurt my witch..."

Sirius got to his feet and made a show of dusting himself off.

"Your witch is she?" asked Sirius with a wicked grin. "Tell me Snape does she know about you?...I mean really know about all the naughty things you've done?"

Hermione glared at the strikingly handsome wizard. It was sad that even Severus Snape thought of the illustrious Mr. Black as handsome. Of course it had been in a bid to add sharp contrast to his own looks. He in-visioned Black as the ideal wizard. The one person with almost everything about him that other's liked, even Lily had preferred to consort with the likes of Sirius Black, who's family had been notoriously Slytherin and followers of the dark lord to him.

"Severus." said Hermione walking over to the enraged wizard. "I know who you are."

Teen Snape continued to glare at Sirius as he smugly walked toward what would have been the room of requirement and opened it wide. There was evident fear on the face of the raven haired wizard. He had known all too well what had been behind the door Sirius had been so keen on showing her. His Hermione. The sweet innocent muggle-born girl that had believed in him. So clueless was she that she had not known the horrors of his past. When he had truly been a death eater.

"Stepping inside shouldn't be too difficult...if you know him so well." taunted Sirius with an arrogant smirk.

Teen Snape grasped Hermione by the wrist.

"Don't." he warned her.

"I am not afraid of what you've done." she said rather bravely.

"You should be." replied Teen Snape with a sorrowful expression on his face.

Hermione knew what his past had done to him. She also knew he had been on the road to redemption since he changed sides during the first wizarding war.

"Hermione..." said Teen Snape again trying to stop her.

She seemed to not hear him as she ventured further toward the door and into the darkened room. Sirius smiled rather smugly as he watched her take a few tentative steps toward the door.

"What's a matter Kitten?" taunted the handsome young wizard. "Afraid of what's behind door number one?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the arrogant prat.

Summoning her Gryffindor courage, she stepped inside the darkened room.

"I love you Severus." she said softly as she continued inside.

It had not surprised her to see the door close behind her, effectively locking her in. She took slow breaths in the darkness as she sifted through the dark feeling the heat of nothingness and fear creep up despite her outward projection of bravado. She had expected all kinds of horrors to be collected here given how much Snape seemed to suppress them.

Hermione walked until she found herself stepping into a rather dark and sticky substance. It seemed to ooze near her shoes. She gasped in shock when the lights had come on and she was suddenly standing in a rather large pool of blood. Amber eyes widened as Hermione took in the sight of lifeless bodies all piled up in neat rows. Apparently they had been organized by order of kill. From what she could tell...Hermione noted that they had all been muggles. A few witches and wizards here and there but mostly muggles. There were no children. Thankfully. He had never been asked to commit such an atrocity, then again the bushy haired witch doubted even Albus Dumbledore would let Snape be around children if he had been that callous, though Ron and Harry might beg to differ.

She continued to walk trying her best to ignore the blatant ghastly images when more light and more bodies came into view. The neat rows had been arranged to that there was a something of a walkway that lead to a make-shift throne. From the darkness obsidian eyes had been watching her with a kind of malice behind them she had known nothing about.

" _Mudblood."_ hissed the figure watching as she continued to make her way passed the numerous rows of bodies.

Hermione felt an eerie chill run down her spine as she stood in the center of this strange room.


	54. Chapter 53:Conviction Of The Damned

**Chapter 53:** _ **Conviction Of The Damned**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...I know long awaited update...late post...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Open up the book you beat me with again...Read it off one sentence at a time...I'm tired of all the lines...Convictions and your lies...What right do you have to point at me?"} Conviction, Daughtry/Absent Element**_

 _Azkaban,Unknown World..._

 _ **H**_ ollow voices rang out as Severus Snape found himself in the center of what appeared to be a wizarding court of law surrounded by the grim faces of those who's lives he had been responsible for ending. In the seats he could make out a few of the faces. Lily Evans Potter, James Potter, Bellatrix LeStrange, and The Dark Lord had been among them. Above him Dementors twisted and swirled about hungry for his miserable soul as their eerie chill set in. Snape had never been afraid of the Dementors. He always welcomed their intent as a merciful end to his already hellish existence. His time in Azkaban where they had been the wardens had given him more then enough exposure to them as it were. Tobias smiled brightly as he took center stage before the masses of droned out faces.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the court...We are here to present my inglorious bastard son...Severus Snape before you in a bid to gauge his actions towards the lot of you." said the smug muggle giving his best impression of a qualified prosecutor.

Snape rolled his eyes as they dragged him shirtless and bound by iron fetters. His lean pale form exposed before those eyes reserving judgement of his past actions and various crimes toward the watching individuals.

"You have no authority to speak to the court _Mudborn_." said Snape amused at the show none the less.

Tobias sighed.

"Check out the brains on this one." he said smirking as well. "Then allow me to introduce someone who can...ladies and gentleman please welcome our representative Mr. Sirius C. Black."

Snape rolled his eyes again.

"I'd have rather-ed it been Tom Riddle." he muttered. "At least he's actually charismatic."

Voldemort's red eyes flashed a bit out amusement at the well timed compliment.

"You know he does have a point." said the despot tooting his own horn as usual.

"You're not calling the shots here snake-boy." said Tobias turning his rage briefly toward Tom.

"I am the dark lord Voldemort!" shouted Tom. "You will show me some respect _Mudborn_!"

Snape looked over the faces of those whom he had wronged.

"Obviously this is a well oiled machine." he said annoyed at the antics of his apparent captors.

"Did you really expect anything less?" came another familiar voice that made the blood in his veins run cold.

Snape noted that it had come from the podium.

"May I present the judge for this evening's mock trial for the life of one Severus Sebastian Snape...Mathias Prince." said Sirius Black with a wicked smile.

"Of course it is." replied Snape bitterly. "So...you've managed to escape hell."

Mathias beamed down at his grandson with a look of unnerving pride.

"Severus." he said in a hearty tone. "How I have missed that rapier wit of yours."

"What the fuck are you doing in my mind?" asked Snape ignoring the scene before him as his rage boiled to the surface.

Mathias glared at him then left the podium quickly dropping down to Snape's level.

"Well grandson." he said pleased at himself. "I am not simply a figment of your diseased imagination...nor a manifestation of your lingering guilt..."

"I gathered that." replied Snape still annoyed. "Just as I have gathered that you are the reason for my current condition."

"Brilliant boy." said Mathias in approval. "You see...you are indeed everything that I wanted in a son...it's a pity that Eileen ran off when she did."

Snape glared at him.

"You have no right to mention my mother." he growled. "Especially after everything you've done to her."

Mathias seemed to be more amused than he had been truly affected by his grandson's outburst.

"Temper...temper young Severus." said the elder Prince. "Is this any way to speak to your elder?"

"You are not my elder." replied Snape bitterly. "And you do not belong here."

"I beg to differ grand son." said Mathias with a grin. "You see...getting my hands on you had been only half of my great plan."

Snape tried to attack the elder wizard and found that his body had not responded the way it was suppose to.

"You see grandson...I am now the sole owner of your very receptive form." boasted the elder Prince. "And you my dear boy will sit and watch as I take the wizarding world by storm as their living unsung hero...before I grind them all beneath my heel the way a Prince of your stature should have done centuries before this...despot Tom Riddle ever had a chance to crawl from the bowls of hell."

"That is not going to happen." said Snape bitterly. "I'd rather die than become your fucking puppet."

Mathias sighed clearly bored with this outcome.

"Grandson...you always did have flair for the dramatic...I find it quite odd that you willingly became the puppet of a honor-less upstart and a crazed old fool but when it comes to you living up to your potential via your own bloodline it's too much of an inconvenience for you." he said slightly annoyed. "No matter...since you deny the greatness of your line for yourself...I shall endeavor to display it to the world without your interference...and grandson...don't worry about the little _Mudblood_ you often have at the end of your cock...I'll be sure to keep her quite busy in the coming days..."

Snape continued to struggle against the irons that held him.

"Stay away from her." warned The Potions Master in a dangerous tone.

Mathias had been amused by this as well it seemed.

"I'm afraid grandson...that that is not an option...given how taken she seems to be with you." he replied.

The elder Prince made his way back to the podium and looked out among the faces of those whom Severus Snape destroyed.

"In light of Severus Sebastian Prince's actions toward the wizarding public...I find him guilty...and sentenced him to... life in Azkaban." said Mathias with a sadistic grin.

Severus struggled against the irons and the guards that came for him. They had been the same strong armed fellows that took him off toward his cell five years prior. Just as before the guard took it upon themselves to beat him with magical clubs. Snape endured it all as he had before with his thoughts falling away to the bushy haired witch with sorrowful amber eyes.

{Hermione.} he said as they drug him away.

Images of the bushy haired witch whom he shared a good deal of intimacy with came flooding back to him. He needed her help...there was no way he could fight off Mathias in this place. There had been too much darkness within him. If he was going to get through this he needed her. He only hoped that she had enough light in her for the both of them.


	55. Chapter 54:The Waiting Game

**Chapter 54:** _ **The Waiting Game**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"I feel you conceal you...I hear you I fear you...I steal you to heal you...I feed you and milk you...Tell me how to sit around...Making my life so empty...Tell me how to sit around...I don't think you wanna know me..."} Empty, Seether**_

 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle,Wizarding World..._

 _ **L**_ ucius Malfoy had not taken his sorrowful gray eyes off the unconscious form of Severus Snape since his arrival. Word had reached the senior Malfoy that his "little brother" had been suffering some kind of affliction. They had gotten rid of Mathias and survived both the dark lord and Harry Potter's reign of terror, the handsome blond wizard could not have foreseen something so trivial as a mental breakdown destroying a wizard like Severus. Then again, the boy had not always been so mentally sound and given all that he suffered it was a wonder he had not had this happen years ago.

"There's been no change since the last hour Lucius." said Dumbledore with his blue eyes twinkling. "Perhaps you should get some rest or something to eat..."

"I'm fine." said Lucius not at all disguising the venom in his tone.

He turned his attention back to the dour wizard layed out in bed before him. It was clear that whatever was affecting him had been quite powerful. His lengthy raven hair had been sticking to his sallow pale face and soaked indefinitely.

"I'm sure Severus would understand if you looked after yourself for a bit." said Dumbledore.

Lucius narrowed his gray eyes at him.

"I said I'm fine old man." he growled. "I've spent quite a bit of time looking after myself and look where it's gotten him...a few lousy moments without personal pampering won't kill be...It's not like I've been pampered during Potter's reign of terror anyway so I'm use to it."

Dumbledore nodded and turned his attention to Draco.

"Draco..." he began.

"I'm staying with my uncle." said the junior Malfoy bitterly. "Now kindly sod off old man."

Dumbledore shook his head.

The Malfoy family's devotion to Severus had been rather admirable given all they had gone through together. Apparently the five years Severus spent in Azkaban had not dulled the friendship in the least. Both Malfoys had been willing to die for the Potions Master. A fate he no doubt would have suffered had Harry Potter been given his way. It was a fortunate thing that Hermione Granger stepped in when she had.

 _Azkaban, Unknown location..._

Snape stared at the solid gray stone wall before him. He had remembered his exact cell in that soulless place all too well. Every crack in the stone right town to the greenest moss that had grown between them. The place had always been cold, mostly due to the dementor presence it seemed. The constant screams and howls for fear of the creatures had been all too familiar...like distant music in the wake of the deafening silence that occurred more often than not.

He layed on the floor like so many nights before with his back stinging from his latest beating at the hands of the guards. His crimson blood trickling down to the stone giving it a splash of color.

His arms and legs were heavy from carrying the weight of his sagging form during the beating at such an extended amount of time.

He hated this place.

This dark place where his thoughts got a hold of him.

His only constant companion had been the images of Hermione Granger.

She had not been allowed to visit him...their meetings had only occurred when he had been taken from this demented circle of hell and propped up in wizarding court during her various attempts at gaining an appeal.

Snape layed on the cold stone as he recalled the scent of jasmine from her bushy brown hair that had been from a ceritan young beautiful witch that filled his dreams and waking hours.

"Snart ans..." he hissed softly in the dark. "Snart ans...hesleuf...hesleuf...bana ans."

A sharp pain ripped through him as he rolled onto his back finding himself looking up at the ceiling.

"Snart ans..." he hissed in parseltongue. "hesleuf..."

The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle Wizarding World...

Lucius Malfoy had taken to pacing the floor watching Snape from the outside had not appeared to be doing any good. He glanced over at Snape each time he passed the area in the room.

"You're going to ware a hole in the floor Lucius." said Madam Pomfrey.

"I-I am restless." replied Lucius not at all wishing to be rude to the Med-Witch.

She had been kind to him and Severus both during their time as students. It had not mattered to her what house they had been placed in nor the manner of their up-bringing.

Her sorrowful eyes fell on the Potions Master as she recalled the day he had been brought in by Hermione Granger following Harry Potter's assault in the court yard.

 _{ There had been a good deal of mud and equal amounts of blood dripping from the injured dark wizard. She had been apart of the staff when Severus took over as Headmaster of the school. She had spoken to him at great length about his antics concerning Albus Dumbledore and how she had not approved of him nor his presense at the school. She once caught the man stocking the potions and organizing them as he had when he had been simply the Potions Professor._

 _She had tested and retested each potion to esure they had not been poisoned and found them all up to par. She thought it strange that Snape had murdered the Headmaster and seemed to go on as if nothing of the sort had ever happened...or perhaps he thought he had been doing her a kindness._

 _Whatever the reason, she retained her hatred of him the night Hermione Granger brought him to her._

 _His face had been swollen, and his left eye had been swollen shut. He had a good deal of cuts and bruises across his body...gashes had been torn into his trademark ebony attire._

 _"Madam Pomfrey." said the bushy haired witch trying to get her attention._

 _"I'm not in the business of healing traitors." spat the med-witch as she looked upon the ailing Headmaster and Hermione Granger._

 _"Madam Pomfrey...Headmaster Snape is not a traitor...well at least he isn't until proven by law." said the young witch as she eased Snape toward a bed._

 _The old Med-Witch had been surprised at how careful the young witch was being with Dumbledore's murderer._

 _"Whatever's done to him is better than he deserves." spat Poppy still not giving an inch._

 _"I-I understand." rasped Snape looking into her stern dark eyes._

 _"Do you really Snape?" asked Poppy folding her arms across her chest as she glared rather murderously at him._

 _"Madam Pomfrey...Snape has a right to a trial." said Hermione trying to appeal to the Med-Witch's sense of reason. "If he dies before trial and it's proven that he is innocent then Harry will be a murderer...is that what you want?"_

 _The old Med-Witch thought for a moment._

 _"No." she said finally looking over the ailing Snape._

 _"Then please help me...help him." said Hermione looking over at Snape._

 _"N-No." said The Headmaster not wishing for any assistance from either of them. "I-I don't need help..."_

 _"Shhhh." said Hermione quieting him. "Just rest Professor...we'll take good care of you."_

 _Snape seemed to trust Hermione closing his eyes or rather succumbing to the impending loss of consciousness._

 _Poppy watched the young witch as she instinctively protected the dour wizard despite his obvious faults and outstanding crimes. Her amber eyes never left him and she was quick to question anything suspicious pertaining to his treatment whenever she could. Snape spent the night terrified as he found himself surrounded by darkness and angry faces._

 _Hermione kept her wand trained on the door and ensured he made at least a minor recovery given what he would have to face at his up coming trial._

 _"W-Why...?" he asked looking at the soft spoken Hermione as she fed him soup...which had been rather difficult for him to eat given the status of his broken jaw._

 _"Because you don't deserve this." she said softly._

 _Madam Pomfrey had disagreed with her then. She believed his killing of Albus Dumbledore had proven he deserved everything Harry Potter had done to him and a lot more. She had only decided to give him medical treatment because his death would have gotten Harry in a world of trouble if Snape had some how been proven innocent and because he didn't deserve a quick death given the suffering he had caused. She like so many others wanted to watch the wizard suffer a slow an agonizing fate for his treachery._

 _She had been in for a world of shock when Albus Dumbledore returned to the land of the living and set an innocent Severus Snape free from the confines of Azkaban after five brutal years. Snape refused to return to Hogwarts...and one could hardly blame him given his treatment at the hands of his former colleagues. }_

Now here the old Med-Witch stood looking upon the poor sod with a good deal of regret in her heart. He had done right by the wizarding world and in return he was simply their punching bag so to speak.

As she looked upon his mournful face she saw traces of the little boy whom had entered Hogwarts at the tender age of eleven.

He had been quite a small thing...pale and timid.

She had seen a lot of cases were children came from broken homes and suffered neglect but none had been quite as affecting as Severus Snape. He seemed to act as if being beaten every day had been a part of every day life.

His lack of appetite had been alarming as well.

"Miss Granger's got a heart as pure as gold." said the old med-witch. "Only someone like that could have the capacity to love a man like Severus despite his faults."

Draco looked over at the old Med-Witch and smiled.

"I guess she does." he said looking back over at his uncle. "She sure as hell fought for him."

"She seems to be fighting still." said Lucius as his own gray eyes fell on Severus. "Words can never express my gratitude for her."

"Nor mine." replied Dumbledore as everyone looked at him. "Despite what you all may chose to believe...I think Miss Granger is the best thing that has ever happened to our Severus."

Minerva glared at the Headmaster.

"Miss Granger does have the qualities of a true Gryffindor witch...but why is it you all speak of the two of them as if there is something else going on?" she said in a huff.

"Minerva...this may come as a shock to you... but..." started Dumbledore in a delicate manner.

"Granger and Uncle Severus are shagging." blurted Draco Malfoy much to the amusement of his father Lucius who had chuckled at the unnerved response from the hold Gryffindor battle ax.

"And she appears to like it." added the senior Malfoy for good measure.

Minerva had been rendered speechless as she glared over at the unconscious Severus Snape.

"In that case I do pray that Miss Granger finds a way to cure the contemptible Slytherin git..." she said. "So that I can kill him myself...for-shame...sleeping with your student...former or otherwise..."

She spent a good deal of time muttering to herself as she exited the infirmary to have a look at the school. Dumbledore noticed she had been in foul temperament and said nothing as Draco and Lucius continued to snicker.

"Any other inappropriate outbursts Mr. Malfoy?" asked Dumbledore eyeing Draco specifically

The junior Malfoy smiled rather sly and shook his head.

"Oh no Headmaster...I believe I'm good for the time being... but you might want to check back in a hour." he replied.

The Headmaster shook his head.

This boy was as much a smart arse as Severus ever was...and being the son of Lucius Malfoy did not make it any better.

"Very well Mr. Malfoy." said Dumbledore with a sigh.

Then came the silence and the ever present notion of waiting. They had no idea what was going on inside Snape's head or how far Hermione was progressing in her journey to fix him. All they could do is watch and wait for the moment she returned. Hopefully she figured out how to help Severus while she was rooting around in his mind. If not it was clear they had their work cut out for them when it came to the dour wizard.


	56. Chapter 55:The Lion's Den

**Chapter 55:** _ **The Lion's Den**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...Most of you will recall this game...I look forward to the reviews...late post...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"There was a time when my world...Was filled with darkness, darkness, darkness...Then I stopped dreaming now...I'm supposed to fill it up with something, something, something...In your eyes I see the eyes of somebody...I knew before, long ago...But I'm still trying to make my mind up...Am I free or am I tied up?...I change shapes just to hide in this place...But I'm still, I'm still an animal...Nobody knows it but me when I slip...Yeah I slip, I'm still an animal..."} Animal, Miike Snow**_

 _Room of Requirement, Unknown location..._

 _ **D**_ angerously low growls filled the darkened room as Hermione Granger stood trying to will her heart to stop beating so quickly. Fear had crept in as she stood in the center of this strange room looking over the bloodied corpses of those devoured by whatever grisly creature resided in this dark place. The bushy haired witch had not known what to expect as the moment she ceased her walk unable to see passed the dim glow that filled this place, she dared not proceed without knowledge of what had been before her. Her ears picked up the sound of a distant growl followed by that of a hiss. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she felt the heat in the darkness.

" _Hic omnes qui ingrediuntur omissa spe_." said a haunting voice in deep baritone.

Hermione again heard the growl resonating deeper as it continued. The hiss followed it again.

"Abandon all hope all ye who enter here." said Hermione recognizing the words.

"So you've come to play?" asked the haunting baritone voice once more. "That...is good...a challenge worthy of my interest...perhaps you won't so easily join those who have fallen before my power."

Hermione was suddenly startled by torches being lit on high columns that surrounded various points of the room. Her amber eyes took in the sight of the corpses, they had not been so numerous in the light but all the more bloodied. _What is this? An illusion? Is His mind trying to scare me?_

"This is how the game will be played...for the first round...I will ask a few simple questions and you will answer them to the best of your ability." said the voice again. "Think of it as a warm up of sorts...I am curious about the mind that invades my lair and have so longed for a proper challenge...as the game progresses so will the stakes...if you win you may ask anything of me...if I win you will be bound here for eternity...But I warn you...if I grow bored with you...I may simply kill you outright...fair enough?"

Hermione had barely enough time to gasp before the growl and hiss returned.

"Am I to take your silence as compliance?" asked the voice.

"W-Wait..." said Hermione not at all comfortable with her new predicament. "I..."

"Let us begin." said the voice rather impatiently.

Hermione quickly began to focus. It was clear that whatever this creature was it had intended to kill her if she did not amuse it. She had come to this place to save Severus...and as such could not lose to this...whomever or whatever it was.

"Echos from a shadow realm...whispers of things yet to come..." said the voice "Thought's strange sister dwells in night, is swept away by dawning light...of what do I speak?"

Hermione thought for a moment not at all sure how much time she had to answer the question. Her mind racing toward the answer with lightening speed as if she had been back in Hogwarts at the mercy of a Pop Quiz.

"Dr...Dreams." replied Hermione with a sense of urgency. "Severus often has terrible dreams that make it difficult for him to sleep."

"Bravo." replied the voice as the light from the torches increased revealing a bit more of the room that surrounded her. "Let us see more evidence of that keen mind...how well do you know your lover?"

"Us?" asked the bushy haired witch unsure of what or whom had been watching her.

Hermione had only a moment to attempt to catch her breath before it proceeded.

"An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth..." started the voice. "The debt of blood must be paid in full...of what do I speak?"

Hermione replayed the words over and over in her mind as images of Draco Malfoy during their time at Hogwarts came playing back and she felt the heat of rage bubble in her chest as she suddenly came up with the answer.

"Vengeance." she replied narrowing her amber eyes at the darkness. "Severus wanted vengeance for the murder of Lily Potter and for all the things James Potter and his friends did to him when he attended Hogwarts."

More of the torch light came bringing into view what looked like the paws of a giant beast...a lion...if Hermione were to be specific in her observation.

"I am quite amused...on ward to see if you still have mental merit." said the voice followed by the deep rumble of a growl and a hiss.

Hermione took a breath and prepared for the next round of questions.

"A poison of the soul...passion's cruel counter-part..." said the voice evenly. "From love she grows until love lies slain...of what do I speak?"

The bushy haired witch noted the round of questions applied very much to her deeply disturbed lover and spoke more to that of his inner poetic nature. She recalled Snape being the one to design the riddle back when Harry had been trying to get to the Sorcerer's Stone in a bid to keep it from Voldemort during first year.

"Jealousy." she replied as a rumble when through the chambers. "Severus was often jealous and resentful of Lily Evans affection for James Potter..."

"Well done." said the voice. "Now the real fun begins."

Hermione had not made a sound as she was treated to the sight of an enormous black lion looking very much like the animagus form of Snape during their time at Dumbledore Manor. His raven mane like that of the Potions Professor's hair without being in this strange place. As the lion made it's way to the center of the room, Hermione noted that instead of a tail...there had been a serpent on the end with glowing red eyes and a hypnotic hiss.

"I am the weeping king of sorrow..." said the voice, it appeared to be coming from the lion itself. "I have three daughters but two love me not...of the one that loved me I loved her not...who am I?"

Hermione had been caught off guard by this question.

 _Weeping king of sorrow?_ she thought. _Who is the weeping king of sorrow?_

A brif flash of her discussion of Shakespeare with Snape back at Dumbledore Manor came to mind.

"King Lear." she replied.

"Very good." he replied. "I quite like you...let see if you can keep up your winning streak."

Hermione had become a bit more confident in her abilities as she stared back into the glowing yellow eyes of the black lion with a serpent tail.

"I am ambition in the face of destruction." said the lion with it's eyes fixed upon the bushy haired witch as if it meant to devour her should she give the wrong answer. "No man shall kill me that is of a woman born...who am I?"

Hermione knew this one especially given the last line. _Of a woman born._

"Macbeth." she replied.

The lion seemed to be annoyed by her continued winning. His breathing came out in a huff as it clawed at the ground below it's large paws.

"Two more questions to go." he said. "If you get them wrong I get to eat you...there is something to be said about those who are insufferable know-it-alls...devouring you would be a well earned treat."

Hermione narrowed her amber eyes at the lion unafraid of it or the threats designed to shake her confidence. At one time Snape being angered by her apparent intelligence made her shrink away from displaying it too openly while in potions class. As thought of all the times he blatantly ignored her hand when she raised it or skipped assisting her with her potions her blood boiled.

"Just get on with it you greasy git." she replied annoyed.

The lion appeared to bare it's teeth at the insult.

Still Hermione had been unafraid as she stared it down.

"I am neither a king nor a general." said the lion with a rather smug expression. "I can turn virtue into pitch with a whisper of poison...How then am I a villain?"

The bushy haired witch had been at a loss as to what this answer had been. The lion seemed to note her hesitance.

"Do you concede?" he asked eagerly.

The bushy haired witch narrowed her amber eyes at it.

"No." she said not willing to just give up and be eaten by this fiend.

Severus had quite the clever mind and it had indeed been filled with all kinds of unsavory traps just as Dumbledore had warned her. She thought back to how she ended up in the presence of this creature and her blood boiled when her thoughts came back to Sirius Black. The look on Teen Snape's face when she had entered this room told her all she needed to know. He seemed to have doubts about her returning unharmed. As if she had not known enough about him to survive this place.

With renewed determination, Hermione sought out the answer to this ridiculous question of only to prove them all wrong.

 _How than am I a villain?_

That line had been familiar. Very familiar as Snape once told her it had been his favorite despite the speaker's just outcome.

Hermione smiled as the answer came to her.

"You are the villain, Iago because of your treachery and manipulative hi-jinks that caused the death of an innocent woman at the hands of her lover." she said with a smile.

The lion glared rather murderously at her.

"Last question." it said annoyed beyond measure.

Hermione had been glad to finally get this stupid game over with. All she wanted to do was get back to Severus.

"I am royal but I am not a king...my mother is not a queen but powerful in her own regard." said the lion. "As a result my blood is not whole but I am no bastard...who am I?"

The bushy haired witch thought this one over wondering if it had been a trick question.

 _Royal but not a king._

 _Mother not a queen._

 _Blood is not whole?_

 _Not a bastard?_

The images of Harry doing well in potions class came back to her. He had been clutching something. It appeared to be an old worn advanced potions book. Everything seemed to click from there. As Hermione's amber eyes widened. A telltale sign that she knew the answer.

"You are...The Half Blood Prince." she said noting all too well that she had won the game.

The lion roared shaking the very room to it's foundations. The torches all went dark and Hermione found herself on the receiving end of it's furious gaze. She could see the rage behind the creatures yellow eyes as it looked as if it wanted to devour her.

"What's to stop me from eating you here and now!" it bellowed clearly enraged. "Insufferable know-it-all...did you really think you could escape my lair?"

"We had a deal." said Hermione. "I beat you fair and square so you have to let me go."

The lion let out a throaty laugh sending a chill down the bushy haired witch's spine.

"Let you go?" he said seemingly amused. "I never said anything of the sort."

Hermione had been angry in her own right. Clearly this beast knew nothing of honoring agreements.

"That isn't fair a deal is a deal." she said her Gryffindor pride wounded at the aspect of being denied a fair bargain.

"It may have escaped your notice puny mortal... but life isn't fair." said the lion.

Hermione had attempted to use her wand but found it had no effect on the creature as it moved to try and devour her. Fear mounted in the bushy haired witch as she went about dodging the claws and venomous tail of the black lion as it sought to end her. It smashed through the stone floor and felled two of the columns.

She let out a scream as it narrowly missed her.

It was clear that she couldn't out run the beast noting her ragged breath as she moved. Her lungs burned and her sides ached as she continued to dodge falling debris. The lion roared with amusement as it continued to try and capture her.

"Severus!" screamed Hermione as she narrowly escaped capture. "SEVERUS I NEED YOU!"

The lion continued to roar with laughter.

"He's not coming." it bellowed rather smugly. "He's much too afraid to venture into the darkness he created..."

"SEVERUS!" shouted Hermione not knowing how much longer she could hold out against this beast. "SEVERUS PLEASE..I NEED YOU"

The lion laughed once more. Hermione tripped over a falling rock and found herself only seconds from being at the creature's mercy.

It's laughter had been short lived as the door burst open and Teen Snape entered holding his wand firmly in his pale hand his expression had been one of sheer concentration.

 _"EXPELLIAMUS!"_ he shouted sending the giant beast flying across the far side of the room.

Teen Snape moved over toward Hermione and helped her to her feet.

"I knew you'd come." she said grateful.

Snape just kept his obsidian eyes as well as his wand trained on the beast while it scrambled to its feet.

" _LUMOS!_ " shouted Snape letting light flood into the room chasing away all the shadows that dwelled within.

Hermione noted how he light had been intense it filled the room, making everything appear so average. Even the mighty lion that dwelled in this place had been nothing in the soft white glow of the light.

The bushy haired witch and Teen Snape made their way out of the strange room and back into the corridor. Sirius Black had been long gone as Hermione stood trying to catch her breath.

Teen Snape put away his wand as the room sealed behind them.

Hermione threw herself into his ebony clad arms.

"Thank you." she said pleased by his apparent display of chivalry.

She kissed him on the cheek and he repaid her with a smile.

"If you really want to thank me...I've got quite a few ideas on how to accomplish that." he replied. "Of course one involves smuggling in a case of wine."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Slytherin git." she said amazed at his being a cad.

"What?" he asked with a shrug.

The bushy haired witch sighed and made up her mind to continue trying to find her Severus. She moved along the corridor with Teen Snape trailing behind her. One thing that strange room proved was that she had known a good deal more about her snarky lover than even she realized and it helped boost her confidence going toward her next obstacle. She just hoped that where ever her Severus was...that he would be whole when she found him.


	57. Chapter 56:Inside Views From The Outsid

**Chapter 56:** _ **Inside Views From The Outside**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...sorry for any misspellings...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"And you...Can bring me to my knees...Again...All the times...That I could beg you please...In vain...All the times...That I felt insecure...For you...And I leave...My burdens at the door...But I'm on the outside...I'm looking in...I can see through you...See your true colors...'Cause inside you're ugly...You're ugly like me...I can see through you...See to the real you..."} Outside, Staind**_

 _Azkaban,Unknown location..._

 _ **C**_ hilled air seeped into the very bones of the beaten Potions Master as he again struggled against his iron fetters. His blood had been the only warm thing against his exposed pale skin in this eerie place. The haunting knowledge of the dementors floating around did little to make the suffering that went on here any better, but he supposed that had been the point of having such detested creatures be wardens. He had known all too well that The Ministry Of Magic had attempted to make Azkaban one of the most soul crushing places in the wizarding world, of course they had nothing on the dark lord and his random need to torment his own followers. Snape almost smirked bitterly at the comparison. Suddenly there was a shifting of thick iron bars and someone's voice echoed loud in the empty place. He had thought perhaps it had been the same guard that had come to administer his daily beating...it seemed being beaten within an inch of his life the first time didn't seem to satisfy those that called for his blood.

Dazed and confused, the Potions Professor now clad in a three day beard with his lengthy raven hair unkempt and soaked with sweat and tinged with blood due to his participation in the favorite activity of the guards of this place, assault the death eater. Snape could only feel numb as he layed on the cold stone floor of his apparent cell. The faint scent of jasmine lingered just a little in his senses. A feeling of warmth washed over him causing him to flash a small smile despite everything that had been happening to him.

"You've got a visitor Snape." hissed the guard not bothering to walk inside.

Snape in return had not bothered to acknowledge the person whom had come to see him.

"Look at you." said a voice that he had known all too well. "This is what you get for joining Voldemort."

Snape felt the familiar searing agony rip through his left forearm and hissed in pain. It had been quite a while since his dark mark had been active...then again with the dark lord floating about his mind there was no wonder the mention of his name still hurt.

"Is there a point to this visit?" he asked bitterly. "Don't you have pressing business...a son to smother with attention...or an orgy with Potter and Black perhaps?"

Lily's face scrunched in a grimace.

"You're such a pig." she replied in an annoyed tone.

"And this is news to you how?" he asked already bored with the lecture.

"She's a good girl." said Lily out of the blue. "And we both know that you are the last person she should have anything to do with."

Snape arched an eyebrow at Lily as he guessed where her lecture would venture to next.

"Your point being?" he asked not sure if he wanted to hear it in the least.

"You are no good for her." said Lily evenly. "She's a Gryffindor and Harry's friend..."

Snape rolled his eyes.

Struggling the dour wizard sat up glaring at his former best friend as he did.

"What I do with Hermione Granger is none of your concern...and her so called friendship with your spoiled Potter brat is about as null and void as the pretend one you forged with me." he spat with disgust. "Apparently she became his ex-friend the moment she proved herself not to be useful to his little cause."

Lily narrowed her dark eyes at the Potions Master.

"You're the one that joined the death eaters Severus!" she shouted clearly angered by his words.

"You're the one that joined the Marauders Lily!" Snape shouted right back reflecting his own rage.

"My friends are not blood thirsty monsters that kill people based on their blood status." said the red head witch defending her fellow Gryffindors.

"And I suppose Worm-tail just happened to be in the mix because it made Potter look good?" said Snape with a vicious smirk. "And Black was also admitted for shits and giggles given his entire blood line supported the dark lord."

"Don't you try and turn this around Severus." said Lily sternly. "You should be ashamed of yourself seducing that girl in such a manner...she was your student...what's the matter with you?"

"If you've come here to dictate my actions to me and tell me you are just wasting your time." said Snape still visibly annoyed. "If this place is going to do a good job of breaking my sanity then it has to do a hell of a lot better than this...I don't recall you being present during my last stay at Azkaban...and for future reference you have no say so in what I chose to do with my cock...you lost that privilege when you let Potter impregnate you...so if there is nothing else...kindly fuck off and send in someone a bit more impressive...tell you what I wouldn't be opposed to a stripper or maybe a working girl from Knockturn alley..."

Lily shook her head.

"You are wrong for her and you know it Severus...this can only end badly." she said.

"So I've been told." he replied.

The red head witch sighed sadly and took her leave of him.

Snape had been pleased to see her go.

"You're going to have to do better than that old man!" shouted the dour wizard. "Lily hasn't been very effective in dictating my life since I was eleven years old."

The bars closed behind the witch as she faded from view. Snape smirked having finally gotten rid of the chatting Gryffindor. He supposed the quiet had been preferable to her lectures. He settled back down onto the floor and attempted to get some sleep when he heard the sound of his cell opening once more.

"You've got another visitor Snape!" said the guard in his usual gruff tone.

Snape sighed wondering just whom had come to lecture him this time.

He gasped when he turned to see the familiar sight of Bellatrix LeStrange with a wicked smile plastered across her pale face.

"Oh shit." said Snape realizing that he might very well be in a good amount of trouble.

How his grandfather accessed his memories of the wicked witch of the wizarding world was beyond him.

Bellatrix for her part noted his shock and smiled visible pleased at the reaction.

"Did you miss me Half-blood?" she asked biting and licking her lower lip.

Snape willed himself to concentrate on the lingering scent of jasmine and the amber eyes that haunted his dreams.

"Snart ans..." he hissed in parsletongue. "Snart ans..."

It had shocked him to note that Lily had returned standing just outside the bars and peering in.

"Since you won't listen to reason." she said with her arms folded across her chest. "I figured a show of force was necessary."

Bellatrix got out her wand twirling it idly between her pale fingers.

"Let's have some fun Half-blood." she taunted casting spell after spell at the already tormented wizard.

"At least it's someone impressive." said Snape not particularly looking forward to this witch's brand of torture.

 _Elsewhere..._

Lucius Malfoy had been watching over Severus Snape rather intensively. He noted the twitching and flexing of his facial muscles. His gray eyes had been filled with concern as he watched Madam Pomfrey check his vitals and run all kinds of tests. Even Dumbledore had a look of concern as they watched the dour wizard in silence.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" asked Lucius impatiently.

"Surely you know what a night terror is Lucius." said Madam Pomfrey.

"A-A night terror?" said the handsome blond in confusion. "Y-You mean he can dream in this state?"

"I'm afraid so." replied Dumbledore. "And I means there are increasing dangers that would no doubt be an obstacle for Miss Granger if she isn't careful."

"What do you mean?" asked Lucius narrowing his gray eyes at the Headmaster.

"It's simple really." said the voice of Harry Potter as he walked into the room drawing the looks of disgust from The Malfoys in the process. "Snape's bad dreams could kill Hermione."

"What are you doing here Potter?" asked Draco bitterly before Lucius got the chance.

"He asked to know about the Potions Master's condition." said Dumbledore trying to keep the peace.

"That didn't mean he had to come here." spat Draco still enraged. "He's the bloody reason my uncle is in the predicament."

Harry looked down at his feet and took a deep breath.

"I came to help." he said. "As you said...what's wrong with Snape is my fault."

"How noble of you." said Lucius in a snide tone.

"Look I know you are angry...if I were you I'd be angry at me too." said Harry bravely.

"I'm not angry at you Potter." spat Lucius with his gray eyes glinting with rage. "I hate you...pure and simple."

"I second that father." replied Draco with his face twisted in a grimace.

"Good you both hate me...now that, that's out of the way...I want to help Professor Snape." said Harry looking into the twinkling blue eyes of The Headmaster.

"Good for you Harry." said Dumbledore. "But I'm afraid matters concerning the Potions Professor are quickly becoming dire."

Lucius narrowed his eyes at the unconscious pale wizard.

"Send me in." he said.

Dumbledore's eyes widened.

"You heard me old man." said Lucius. "Look nobody here knows Severus better than I...if he or Granger for that matter, are to have any real chance at getting out of this alive then let me go into his mind."

The Headmaster considered this for a moment.

"If you are killed..." he began.

Lucius wasted no time as he began to take off his coat. He threw his cane in Draco's direction and the Junior Malfoy caught it effortlessly. They exchanged a look of respect and pride all rolled into one.

"Tell your mother...I had a pressing engagement." said Lucius with a sly smile.

Draco nodded in acknowledgement.

Harry turned his attention back to Dumbledore.

"If he's going so am I." he said.

"It's enough with Granger in there." said Lucius bitterly. "There is no way I am risking you screwing around in my little brother's mind and making Severus worse off than he already is."

"Harry wishes to help." said Dumbledore. "I believe his help will beneficial to Severus' welfare given their history."

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"No." he said in a final tone. "And that is final."

Harry looked at Dumbledore who gave him an off look and then a wink before he approached Lucius Malfoy.

"Have it your way Lucius." said the Headmaster. " _Mentis peregrinus!"_

The last thing Lucius Malfoy had seen were the twinkling blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore. Draco Malfoy stood at his godfather's side with his father's coat and cane in his hands. A look of utter rage filed across his pale face as he glared at the Headmaster. One thing he knew for sure had been his father was going to be pissed whenever he got to where he was going...because the old bastard had sent Harry Potter right along with him.


	58. Chapter 57:Drunken Brutes And Platitude

**Chapter 57: _Drunken Brutes And_** ** _Platitudes_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...sorry for any mistakes...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"I hear her scream from down the hall...Amazing she can even talk at all...She cries to me go back to bed...I'm terrified that she'll wind up dead in his hands...She's just a woman, never again...Been there before but not like this...Seen it before but not like this...Never before have I ever seen it this bad...She's just a woman, never again..."} Never Again, Nickelback**_

 _Spinner's End, Unknown Location..._

 _ **H**_ arry James Potter opened his eyes to find that he had been surrounded by darkness. His glasses had proven to be ineffective as he took them off and cleaned them with the fabric of his t-shirt. His green eyes seemed to focus in the surrounding darkness and he barely made out what appeared to be a small sitting room. He let out a breath that he had not known that he had been holding. His pale hands trembling as he eased his way toward his feet noting the small sting of pain where his ribs seemed to have collided with the hard wood of this strange floor. The scent of old leather and dust filled the young Gryffindor's nostrils as he carefully inspected this strange place. The faint scent of herbs and freshly dug earth followed by a sickeningly sweet scent of decay had been in the air. Harry took another deep breath and he could almost swear he smelled alcohol. It had been heavy as his sense of smell grew more accurate.

On shaky footing, Harry made his way toward what appeared to be a set of stairs. His vision had been a bit off as he noted what appeared to be feet in the center of the stairs. He concentrated on focusing his line of vision and confirmed there had indeed been someone at the base of the stairs. He could tell from the thin pale frame and lengthy raven hair that the figure had been his Potions Professor. The appearance of youth familiar like the boy in the pensive who had been mercilessly teased and assaulted by The Marauders at Hogwarts.

"P-Professor?" said the green eyed wizard.

If Snape heard him, he made no indication of such a thing as he continued to sit at the base of the stairs.

Harry noted that the Potions Professor had been quite young...possibly about fourteen years of age as he sat quietly in the dark. After a moment of silence the green eyed wizard tried to get Snape's attention once more.

"Professor, I've come to help you." he said in a bid to explain his presence in the tormented wizard's mind.

Snape got to his feet, still without saying a word. He climbed down the stairs and nearly made his way to where Harry had been standing.

"Professor?" said the green eyed wizard.

Snape suddenly glared rather murderously at the young Gryffindor wizard. His obsidian eyes flickered something akin to absolute hatred. Harry felt a chill go down his spine as he looked back into those cold orbs that seemed to pierce into his very being.

Harry's ears perked when the sound of flesh resonating off flesh filled his ears. He had barely a moment to ask what that had been when Snape suddenly turned toward the kitchen door.

"Mother..." was all that passed through his pale lips and he took off toward the door.

The green eyed wizard followed the raven haired teen who would be come his future Potions Professor. His own heart beating wildly in his chest as he too reached the kitchen door.

The wizard gasped when he caught sight of a trashed kitchen with holes in the walls and dirt across the visibly washed floor. The fridge had been empty and wide open as the doors swung a bit from the force of being pulled so violently. Snape strung into action attacking a rather tall man with an athletic build. He resembled Snape a great deal with his lengthy brown hair and gruff beard. His cold brown eyes fell on the raven haired teen as he picked him up by the scruff of the collar.

Harry winced as he noted the downed woman on the floor of the kitchen. He wondered if he could assist her and tried to make his way into the kitchen. Try as the green eyed wizard might, he could not assist neither the witch, whom bore a striking resemblance to The Potions Professor right down to the obsidian eyes and sallow pale complexion.

Up close the green eyed wizard could see the makings of a purple bruise about the witch's right eye. Her lip had been busted as well with the trickle of crimson blood a vast contrast to the natural pale color of her skin. She didn't appear to be emotionally registering what had happened to her. Not one tear streamed down her cheeks as she weathered the no doubt stinging pain associated with her injuries. The young Gryffindor knew her to be Eileen Prince and the brute to be Tobias Snape, The Potions Master's parents, from Hermione's research of The Half-Blood Prince during sixth year.

"Well lookie what we have here." said the drunken brute whom gripped Snape's collar. "The freak things he's got a pair."

Harry's eye widened when the drunken brute punched the teen age Snape in the face. The blow had been delivered with such ferocity that the Gryffindor wizard could swear he heard the sound of bone breaking as the large meaty fist came in contact with the bridge of the fourteen year old wizard's nose. Snape for his part seemed to weather the blow as his mother had.

After a few more solid hits, the drunken brute threw Snape across the room and his back hit against the open empty fridge doors. A flash of pain filed across the sallow pale face of the young raven haired wizard. Harry heard the sound of more bones being crushed as Snape's right shoulder came into contact with the doors.

The drunken brute did not seem to be finished as he stalked the young wizard with his dark eyes gleaming.

Harry wished that Snape would just get up and run away...hide from the brute as he would but it seemed to do no good as Snape simply struggled to his feet and glared murderously at the man who had been his so called father.

"What you haven't had enough yet?" asked the drunken brute with a wicked smirk.

Snape spat the blood that had leaked into his mouth onto the floor and palled his fists. The pain had been sharp and constant as he faced his drunken father.

"I told you not to touch her." he said in a dangerously low tone.

Tobias seemed amused by this.

"What are you going to do about it freak?" he asked. "They'll kick you out of that little fairy school so fast your head'll spin and then where will you go?"

Snape had clearly been frustrated by the entire situation. He had more than enough magical power to put this bastard in his place and he could not use it...not outside of Hogwarts given his age. Comfortable in the fact that his son couldn't use magic, Tobias began to beat the boy physically to assert his dominance.

"Professor!" shouted Harry in a bid to warn the young wizard too late that his father had something sinister planned for him as he witness Tobias rush the already injured boy and ram him into the opposite wall.

"AHHHHH!" shouted Snape before he blacked out.

Harry found everything swirling around him then he ended up in what appeared to be Snape's bedroom. The raven haired wizard had been out for a few days following that altercation with his brutish father.

With trembling hands Harry attempted to place his hand on the ailing young wizard's shoulder.

"W-What are you?" asked Snape barely conscious as he gazed into the older Gryffindor's eyes.

"P-Professor?" said Harry noting that Snape knew something of his presence.

The teenager suddenly narrowed his obsidian eyes as a look of pure rage filed across his sallow pale face.

"P-Potter!?" he snapped as his rage became more profound. "What are you doing here!?...these are private memories?"

Harry looked down at his feet as the teen rushed to sit up despite the obvious amount of pain he had been in.

"W-We came to help sir." said the green eyed wizard sorrowfully.

"We?" said Snape bitterly struggling against the pain.

"L-Lucius...M-Myself...and H-Hermione." replied Harry feeling sort of small in the young boy's gaze.

"L-Lucius?" he asked almost as if he had been confused. "Hermione?"

Harry nodded.

"I-I've seen..." he started before something seized him causing a good deal of pain to rip through him.

"S-Sir what's going on...?" asked the green eyed wizard heavily concerned.

"M-Mother." said Snape scrambling to his feet. "I-I can't...I..."

There was a loud crash coming from the other bedroom across the hall.

Harry entered the rather narrow hall the scent of old wood filled his nostrils as well as the heavy scent of whiskey. A feeling of dread filled him as Snape entered the bedroom. The green eyed wizard attempted to follow but Snape suddenly opened the door and aimed his wand at him.

 _"EXPELLIAMUS!"_ shouted the raven haired wizard.

Harry found himself free falling threw what appeared to be the living room floor.

His heart had been pounding in his chest as he came to a crashing halt in the middle of another darkened area. His vision again blurred as he attempted to scramble to his feet. He could hear voices in the distance and an eerie chill as he made his way toward what appeared to be an opening where light had been. Careful as he put one foot in front of the other, Harry reached a strange looking meadow where he caught sight of a raven haired wizard with pale skin and obsidian eyes sitting amid the grasses near a tar black lake. He had not been alone as he sat idly doodling on a strange note pad. A girl with red hair and emerald green eyes soon joined him. She was wearing a yellow cotton dress with tiny blue and white flowers printed upon it and white lace trimming.

The straggly teen Snape had been wearing an over sized long sleeve shirt with black suspenders and refitted trousers with the knees covered in two different patch colors. He wore an old black muggle professor's jacket with the patches on the sleeves. His shoes had been worn as well as if they had come from a church mission. Harry could see where the sole had been worn and they were only a few fixes away from being useless.

"Sev." said the teen with red hair.

Harry's heart lept as he recognized the red head girl as his mother. Dumbledore had explained that Snape and Lily Potter had been friends. It had not surprised the green eyed wizard to see her show up in the dour wizard's tormented mind all that much. He had truly cared about her after all. Snape had been refusing to look at the witch as she sat down beside him noting his drawing with a sad smile.

"Sev please look at me." she said sweetly.

Snape sighed and turned his attention to the red head witch whom could ask anything of him and he would kill himself to make her dreams come true.

Harry smiled a bit sadly as Lily noted the bruises on Snape's face.

"S-Sev what happened?" she asked her voice heavy with concern.

Snape ever the brooding teen simply shrugged.

"I walked into a door." he said bitterly turning his attention back to his drawing.

"Sev...don't be like that...what happened did Potter do this to you?" asked Lily narrowing her emerald green eyes at the mere thought of James Potter causing physical harm to her friend.

"No." replied Snape still with an air of bitterness to his tone. "Potter's never been lucky enough to pull off such a thing...his spell work is inferior."

Lily giggled a bit noting how right Snape had been about that. For all of James Potter's bravado and boasting on the Quidditch field, he was barely making passing marks. Harry bristled a bit in defense of his father, especially knowing that his mother would soon find herself romantically linked to the young Gryffindor wizard.

"What me to kiss it and make it better?" asked Lily with a sweet smile.

Snape for his part had been caught off guard by this.

"I-I..." he started finding himself at a loss for words.

Lily simply giggled and pressed her soft pink lips into the bruised flesh of his swollen eye. A node of pain shot through him from the increased pressure on his blood vessels but it had been overshadowed by the soothing sensation of Lily Evans pressing her soft warm lips into his cooled flesh.

He found it hard to breath as she pulled back with a warm smile on her beautiful face.

"There." she said sweetly.

Snape simple stared at her apparently caught off guard by this new development of affection between them and Harry fought the urge to gag. He had not expected his mother to actually have interest in the Snarky Git outside of being casual friends. He had seen evidence of a normal friendship in the pensive Dumbledore had given him but this...this was unsettling to say the least.

 _Had his mother actually had feelings for Snape or was this some elaborate fantasy given that he had been trapped in the tormented Professor's mind?_

Before either of the wizard's could say very much Lily broke the silence.

"That doesn't nearly make up for how much that hurts does it?" she asked still in the same sweet demeanor.

Snape again said nothing completely taken aback by Lily's behavior. She had always been a bit braver than he had, he guessed her Gryffindor traits were manifesting, or possibly it had been the company she had been keeping rubbing off on her. He had not truly known what to think if either situation happened, she had been his best friend after all...and he couldn't imagine her being a advanced as those other girls in Hogwarts.

Taking his silence as confirmation, Lily straddled the raven haired teens lap and quickly pressed her soft pink lips into his pale ones. At first Snape had been shocked by her lips meeting his. The he quickly allowed himself to accommodate her if only this once. Lily had always been the curious sort...they had shared their first kiss some odd years prior but it had been innocent...something only two children could have been capable of...he had not kissed Lily as a teenager...not when he had those feelings that made his cock grow so steadily within his trousers.

Her youthful breasts had been pressing up against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck. A soft moan escaped her as a groan managed to slip passed his own pale lips from the heated contact with her warm slender form. Harry's eyes widened as he watched the two of them not knowing what to think about either his mother or Snape for that matter.

The green eyed wizard had hardly gotten over the knowledge that Snape and Hermione were intimate. _This...this was his mother for Merlin's sake!_

As horrified as Harry had been, he had been equally relieved to note that this was as far as Snape and Lily had taken things. She climbed off him and dusted herself off as she looked toward the blackened lake.

"Feeling any better Sev?" she asked with a knowing smile.

Snape's cheeks turned red at the implication in her tone as well as her smile. Harry found himself noting this had been the first time he had seen the Potions Professor blush...he hardly thought the brooding sod was capable of any sort of shame. Then again, the green eyed wizard summarized that it was perhaps due to him being an innocent teen here and a seasoned death eater when he met him.

"I-I..." replied the fumbling teenage wizard.

Lily simply smiled again as Snape scrambled to his feet.

"I bet you can't catch me." she said playfully then took off running.

Snape watched her go for a few seconds before trailing behind her. Harry found himself alone after a while. He thought of Lucius and Hermione and wondered which part of Snape's fractured mind they ended up in.


	59. Chapter 58:Histories and Hostilities

**Chapter 58: _Histories and_** ** _Hostilities_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...late post}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"...I won't count the hours, rather be a coward...When our worlds collide...I'm gonna drown you out before I lose my mind...I can't find your silver lining...I don't mean to judge...But when you read your speech, it's tiring...Enough is enough...I'm covering my ears like a kid...When your words mean nothing, I go la la la...I'm turning up the volume when you speak...'Cause if my heart can't stop it...I'll find a way to block it, I go...La la, la la la la la na na na na na...La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na,I find a way to block it, I go...La la, la la la la la na na na na na...I find a way to block it..."} Naughty Boy La La La Ft. Sam Smith**_

 _The Grounds,Hogwarts Castle,Unknown Location..._

 _ **L**_ ucius Abraxas Malfoy had been barely coming around when he noted the familiar setting of Hogwarts Castle only it had not been as it was when he last saw it. The handsome blond wizard looked down at his attire to find that he had been once again clad in a Slytherin Hogwarts uniform. He noted the familiar youthful appearance of his hands and guessed rather correctly that he had been some how transported to his last year at Hogwarts and the first time he had ever met the young Severus Snape. Immediately recalling the events that lead to their rather momentous introduction, Lucius rushed toward the lake. He knew all too well what awaited him when he arrived.

As he happened upon the site, he could barely make out the crowd of first year Gryffindors and especially the mouthy James Potter.

"Snivellus Greasy!" he chanted as if he were some big shot aiming his wand on a very thin and pale young wizard with lengthy raven hair.

"Severus." said Lucius recalling just how frail the younger Severus had been at the time.

The senior Malfoy could feel his rage burning in his chest and his blood heated in his veins. He had hated James Potter and his idiotic lot for their cruel treatment of Severus when he was a boy. He had been unable to turn his wand on the little cruel bastards due to Dumbledore being all over him, the Gryffindor loving sod. He had not even tried to hide his obvious favoritism.

"Time to take a bath Snivellus!" shouted Sirius Black with a wicked grin plastered across his face.

"Yeah maybe some of the greasy will wash off." added an overweight rat-faced boy that Lucius immediately recognized as Worm-tail.

Potter took it upon himself to levitate young Severus into the air and dropped him into the lake. The raven haired boy thrashed about in the black water trying desperately to stay a float. His breathing had been ragged and he had been terrified. Without hesitation Lucius stripped off his outer robe, coat and tie. Then he toed off his shoes and lept into the murky water.

Severus had begun to sink to the bottom amid the tentacles of the giant squid. Thinking quickly...the handsome blond wizard let himself drop down into the murky depths and quickly snatched the boy from the creature's grasp. He swam to the surface pulling the eleven year old along. Lucius took a deep breath and pulled Snape onto shore and immediately got him out of his tie and heavy vest.

The senior Malfoy spelled the boy dry and woke him. His gray eyes filled with worry as Severus' obsidian eyes opened to the unfamiliar sight of the handsome _Pureblood_ and his haunting gray eyes upon him.

"W-Why..." started the raven haired boy before he began coughing up some of the water.

Lucius had known all too well what the boy had been about to ask.

"Take your time." he said in a surprisingly father-like tone. "You've got to breathe."

Severus spit out the rest of the water that had been in his wind pipe and took in a big gulp of air. He steadied himself as he got to his knees, a bit shakily at first then he looked at Lucius with all kinds of questions running about in his young mind.

"W-Why did you save me?" he asked as if he had been completely surprised by the show of concern. "A-Aren't you a _Pureblood_?"

"Something like that." replied Lucius echoing the same words he had spoken to the young wizard that day.

Severus arched an eyebrow at this.

Lucius smiled noting how often his little brother had done that in the great number of years he had known him.

"B-But..." said Severus confused.

"I am Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, Prefect of Slytherin House." said the handsome blond wizard. "There is no need to thank me...we Slytherins have to look out for one another."

"I-I...wasn't..." said Severus a bit annoyed at his own confusion.

It only served to make Lucius smile more the old sod really had been adorable given his child like appearance and usual demeanor.

"Don't worry about it." continued the handsome blond wizard. "What is your name fellow Slytherin?"

"M-My name is Severus." said the raven haired Slytherin. "Severus Snape."

Lucius had noted the younger Slytherin's shame when he said his surname. Before this day the handsome blond wizard had not known of the name of Snape. It had been rather unique. Severus had been well aware of the stigma of his blood status. It had been the reason none of the other Slytherins spoke to him or helped him when The Gryffindors decided to gang up on him.

"Snape?" asked the handsome blond. "I've never heard of the Snape line...are you a...?"

"Half-blood." said Severus with a saddened expression.

He seemed to expect Lucius to mock him and tell him how he wasted his time saving an inferior wizard such as he.

Much to young Severus' surprise, Lucius simply waved his wand and magically gathered the pages from the young Slytherins book that had been discarded in the wake of the attack by the arrogant prat James Potter.

"You are a very someone with the makings to become a very talented addition to Slytherin house." he said in a father-like tone despite his apparent youth in this stage of Snape's mind. "Do not let anyone tell you differently...little brother."

Severus looked up at him confused as the elder Slytherin ruffled his lengthy raven hair. It was strange that this Lucius Malfoy had not thought his hair greasy and that his touch had been casual and almost friendly.

There was a warmth in the young wizard that he had never felt unless he had been with Lily and she said something nice to him. It seemed to be an indicator to him that this Lucius Malfoy was alright. He had not been anyone's "little brother" before and wondered what it meant.

"Come on." said Lucius with a smile. "Let us get back to the dungeons."

Severus nodded and followed Lucius with his book clasp in his hands.

It seemed that some good had come out of Potter's callousness. He met Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius had been more prepared when the scene shifted and he found himself looking into the obsidian eyes of a now 16 year old Severus Snape as they hid out in an old classroom. Given his age, Lucius should have been aged out of Hogwarts but he had been studying to become governor of the school and as such was offered an extended education there for better understanding of how to oversee it.

Snape now a thin but muscular teen with even longer unkempt raven hair and a sorrowful pale face.

He wore a half buttoned long sleeve white shirt given it had been a part of his uniform. His ebony trousers had been barely buttoned and he looked to have a bit of scruff on his sallow pale face. The younger wizard reeked of firewhiskey and something else.

"How much trim have you had tonight?" asked the handsome blond with an elated smile plastered across his own pale face.

"When I remember I'll be able to tell you." replied Snape with a smirk.

Lucius had been in nearly the same condition as he staggered over toward Snape in a bid to ruffle his already messy hair.

The younger wizard laughed and nearly collapsed onto the hard stone floor.

"I think you've had much too much young man." said Lucius in a mock scolding tone.

"Is that your best McGonagall impression?" asked Snape laughing.

Lucius grinned knowing all too well what he was getting at.

The music had been loud in pulsing, but then it always was in the Slytherin dungeons, their head of house had been passed out due to a good deal of drugged wine and none of the other teachers cared enough to venture down into the depths of the castle to check on the Slytherin students.

"Hey." said Snape as he blinked noting a bushy haired witch with a serious expression plastered across her face.

"Severus Sebastian Snape!" she said with her hands on her hips.

"She looks like a miniature McGonagall." said Snape much too drunk to note the serious expression on Lucius Malfoy's face.

"That's because it's Miss Granger." he replied not at all finding this amusing as his memory of why he had been here in the first place returned with the young Gryffindor witch's appearance.

"I would expect this much from Lucius but Severus you know good and well that I am on a mission." said Hermione enraged.

"Oh..." he said as if suddenly recalling himself what was happening.

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"Miss Granger...at last." he said.

Hermione's amber eyes narrowed as she looked over the handsome _Pureblood_ wizard.

"You are a terrible influence on him." she said.

"Those were very different times." said Lucius in defense of his past partying ways. "I believe I mellowed out over the years thank you very much...although Severus is more or less the same."

Hermione's eyes widened.

"Lucius?" she said not sure if she had been correct in her assessment of him given his speech.

"Indeed." replied the handsome blond wizard. "I am afraid you are in a great deal of peril Miss Granger...Severus' mind is...experiencing a good deal of night terrors."

"So Dumbledore sent you?" she asked with her arms folded across her chest.

"Not exactly." replied the handsome blond wizard. "I volunteered."

Hermione understood immediately that this had gotten a lot more serious.

"We have to get to him." she said determined. "He won't last much longer if we just leave without fixing the problem."

Teen Snape simply yawned.

"This couldn't possibly get any more dull." he said.

Hermione shifted her eyes back to him.

"No one asked you drunken sod." she replied. "Now sober up and help us get out of here."

Lucius had been impressed with how Hermione seemed to be adjusting having been trapped in Severus' tortured mind this long. She had been as bossy as ever and it worked out nicely here. Severus always did have a thing for forceful woman.

"Come along little brother." said the handsome blond. "Before she starts throwing hexes."

Teen Snape sighed.

"Never any fun with this one." he muttered.

"I heard that git!" shouted Hermione annoyed.

The three of them left the Slytherin dungeons and made their way back to the corridors. They had been pressed for time as they went about the finding a way to reach Severus, the real Severus in time before more damage could be done, of course neither of them had known that Harry James Potter had been inside the tormented wizard's mind as well.


	60. Chapter 59:The Death Eater and The Chos

**Chapter 59:** _ **The Death Eater and The Chosen One**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Don't even think about reaching me...I won't be home...Don't even think about stopping by...Don't think of me at all...I did a what I had to do...If there was a reason, it was you...Aaah, don't even think about getting inside...Voices in my head...Ooh, voices...I got scratches all over my arms...One for each day since I fell apart...I did, oh, what I had to do...If there was a reason it was you..."} Footsteps, Pearl Jam**_

 _Godric's Hollow,Unknown location..._

 _ **C**_ onfused and more than a little terrified, Harry James Potter found himself standing outside the house where his mother and father had once lived happily with him as a baby. The place had been more ghastly than Harry remembered when he and Hermione took a moment to visit his parent's graves. The house had been as it was the day Voldemort launched his attack. Unable to help himself Harry made his way inside, almost as if he were being guided by instinct. His emerald green eyes taking in the vast amount of damage as he moved. The front door had been left ajar, and Harry noted that it had been with good reason due to James Potter's body being a couple feet from it. The younger Potter calculated that James had probably been killed first, it had been a cold calculation as if his own father had meant nothing to him. Harry moved along the hall noting the scatters papers and debris as he did. Signs of a struggle if ever there had been. Toppled and broken furniture, burn marks on the walls, and blood. There had certainly been plenty of blood as he moved toward the last room along the narrow hall. For some reason he didn't need to check the other doors that lined walls. Once again instinct pulling him toward the center of the house...toward what looked to be a child's bedroom.

Harry felt his heart pounding in his chest as he found that door too had been slightly ajar. Feeling a sudden sense of weakness overtake him, Harry steeled himself and continued determined to see what had been ahead. His mind frozen on the image of a little girl in a flower cotton dress and emerald green eyes with strawberry hair. His heart continued to beat faster as his blood ran cold. There was only silence that had come from the room as he ventured inside.

The proof of more debris and scattered belongings only served to make his knees buckle as he continued not even getting half way inside the room when his eyes fell upon the lifeless form of Lily Evans-Potter. Her emerald green eyes in a constant state of sorrow and her face twisted in a panicked grimace. Flashes of another lifeless corpse came to mind...only this time it had been in a kitchen. The face in a state of release and the eyes in a peaceful surrender. This had been nothing like that...this had been...worse...so much worse.

Harry's hands hit the floor of the carpeted blue child's room and he felt something intense rush through him as if it had been ripping him apart. His cheeks had been wet with tears that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul...a soul he never even knew he had.

"LILY!" he shouted as the raging storm of emotions that had set in took over.

The Gryffindor wizard found himself pulling Lily Potter into his arms, resting her lifeless form across his chest...which had been ebony clad. Harry had thought this to be strange, he had never worn anything like what he had been wearing before. Without a word he looked down at his hands, they had been quite pale...much more pale than usual and rough with callouses. Harry had never known the kind of hard labor that had produced these kinds of callouses. He had not even experienced the kind of trembling that came with the weight of such sorrow either.

His hands touched his face as he held Lily to him and noted for the first time that he had not been wearing glasses. His eyesight seemingly perfect. _What is this? Why is this happening?_

He had not known how much time passed before he found himself getting to his feet and lifting the lifeless form of Lily Potter into his arms. Without a word he carried her into the next room, her bedroom that she shared with James Potter. He placed her into bed as if she had been merely sleeping and pulled the covers over her. He took the time to tuck her in and ventured back toward the child's room. He had no fear of what awaited him as he entered. There was a numbness that filled him making his movements more mechanical as he found himself looking into the emerald green eyes of the one year old baby boy.

His messy brown hair and tear stained plump cheeks a sight to behold. The part that had gotten to him the most had been his eyes. His emerald green eyes, they had been so much like hers.

Harry felt something shift and suddenly he had been looking up at the dour Potions Master from the tiny crib. He could not speak but he immediately felt the weight of sadness that seemed to pour off this strange man clad in ebony. It had surprised the younger wizard when Snape suddenly disappeared and returned with a ready bottle for his consumption.

He felt the older wizard lift him out of the crib and carry him rather gingerly toward the rocking chair that had been placed in here for the purpose of his feeding. Baby Harry had not shed a tear since he heard the mournful crying of this extremely sad man. He felt no immediate danger and simply suckled from the bottled with a tightened grip on the dark wizard's long pale fingers.

"It seems we are both still feeling the effects of that night Mr. Potter." said Snape suddenly. His voice it's usual deep baritone and his breathing even. The baby Harry simply continued to eat. The older Harry found himself shifting once more until he was standing at the door watching the strange scene before his very own eyes with glasses included.

"P-Professor." said the green eyed wizard with sorrow in his tone.

The Potions Master simply smiled sadly as he allowed the baby Harry to nuzzle against his chest.

"Why have you come here?" he asked not a trace of malice in his tone, possibly due to the baby nearly being asleep in his arms.

"I-I've come to help you Professor." said Harry gathering his Gryffindor courage. "W-What I did...I caused this..."

Snape seemed amused by the boy believing he had that much clout.

"As arrogant and narcissistic as always." he said in a surprisingly amused tone. "Have you learned nothing in the past five years?"

Harry arched an eyebrow at this.

"Despite what you chose to believe Mr. Potter, this was no one's doing but my own." he replied. "While it was true your endless calling for my punishment landed me back in Azkaban for another five years, I was the one who had created the means for that to occur...I find no fault with you Mr. Potter...let it go."

"B-But..." said Harry with his fists balled. "Professor...you didn't deserve what I did to you...and neither did Hermione."

Snape's obsidian eyes flickered a bit at the mention of the bushy haired witch's name.

"I am sure Miss Granger has her own feelings to work through concerning what you've done Mr. Potter." replied the Potions Master.

Harry nodded. He kept thinking about what he could do for the Potions Professor. This was clearly not something the man needed to keep remembering over and over. The pain must have been unbearable for the man.

Then an idea came to him. It only seemed to become more of a good idea when he felt the familiar heaviness of his wand. _I'm going to help you Professor._ he thought with a final check to his resolve. With a swift motion of his hand Harry Potter lifted his wand and shouted the incantation that had been mulling about in his head for the past several seconds. He had hoped it work and didn't cause further damage to the already unstable wizard.

 _"Memoria continentiam!"_

Snape suddenly blinked as the room began to shift all about them. His obsidian eyes glared rather murderously at the fully grown Harry Potter as he felt himself being pulled in another direction.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" he shouted as pain seemed to rip through him.

"Helping you sir...it's for your own good." replied Harry confidently. "These memories are killing you."

 _Elsewhere..._

Hermione and Lucius had been halfway through the Hogwarts courtyard when Teen Snape suddenly collapsed onto the started writhing in pain. The concern filed across the handsome blond wizard's face had been evident as both he and Hermione dropped to their knees at the ailing wizard's side.

"Severus!" said the bushy haired witch in alarm. "Severus what's happening?"

"S-Some one...something...wrong...can't...can't stop..." replied the ailing teenage wizard.

Hermione gripped her wand firm in her hands as she looked out over the courtyard. There had been no sign of the Marauders since their initial encounter.

"Severus I don't see any one." she said.

Teen Snape gripped the ground digging his fingernails into the grass and soil. His eyes blazing as his sallow pale face twisted into a grimace of fury.

"POTTER!" he shouted a surge in his magic leveling half of the castle.

At the end of the damaged line had been Godric's Hollow.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"T-That's where Harry's parent's lived." she said immediately recognizing it.

"Potter?" said Lucius giving what Teen Snape had said some thought.

Hermione noted the all out rage that filed across the handsome blond wizard's face.

"THAT MEDDLING SON OF A BITCH!" shouted Lucius enraged. "HE'S DONE IT...HE'S SENT THAT IDIOT POTTER INTO SEVERUS' MIND AFTER I EXPRESSED THAT I HAD NOT WANTED THAT TO HAPPEN!"

It was Hermione's turn to become enraged.

"HE DID WHAT?!" she shouted seething.

"We have to stop that little fool before he does any more damage to Severus." said Lucius.

"Agreed." replied Hermione. "And when we get out of here...I get to hex him first."

Lucius narrowed his gray eyes a bit.

"No promises." he replied.

All three of them made their way toward Godric's Hollow. When they reached the edge of the memory Teen Snape stood back not wishing to continue forward.

"Aren't you coming?" asked Lucius with an arched eyebrow.

"H-he can't replied Hermione understanding. "It was like this before with the other Severus."

Lucius turned his attention to the bushy haired witch.

"Other Severus?" he asked.

"It's a long story." said Hermione.

She walked over to the teenage version of her lover and offered him a smile. He returned it though he had been a good deal nervous.

"Thank you...again..." she said meaningfully once again.

"It was no trouble." he said with a sly smirk. "It's what a wizard is suppose to do for his witch."

Lucius rolled his eyes at the teenage babble. He honestly didn't think Snape capable of such trivial expression. The handsome blond had been caught off guard when Hermione kissed the young sod for good measure before they departed for Godric's hollow.

"I don't think I'll ever get use to that, Miss Granger." he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Come on." she said with her sights set on the hollow. "Let's go pay Harry Potter a less than friendly visit."

Lucius smiled rather wickedly as a flicker of malice came behind his haunting gray eyes.

"Yes." he replied. "Let's."


	61. Chapter 60:The Serpent Of Chaos

**Chapter 60:** _ **The Serpent Of Chaos**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"There's battle lines being drawn..Nobody's right if everybody's wrong...It's s time we stop, hey, what's that sound...Everybody look what's going down...Paranoia strikes deep...Into your life it will creep...It starts when you're always afraid...You step out of line, the man come and take you away..."} For What It's Worth, Buffalo Springfield**_

 _Godric's Hollow,Unknown location..._

 _ **D**_ arkness surrounded Harry Potter as he got to his feet. The familiar setting of the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow had been different. A twisted nightmarish place had been what Harry had awakened to. There had been no sign of Snape or anything remotely resembling Godric's Hollow. The green eyed wizard had been stunned to find an enraged bush haired witch and an equally furious Lucius Malfoy staring at him. Hermione had not said a word as she surveyed the damage that Harry had caused.

"What have you done?" she asked with narrowed amber eyes.

Harry dusted himself off and put away his wand.

"I-I was just trying to help..." stammered the green eyed wizard. "Snape shouldn't have that memory haunting him so much..."

"Who the fuck asked you to alter my brother's mind?" asked Lucius his temper clearly boiling. "WHO KNOWS WHAT FUCKING DAMAGE YOU'VE DONE TO HIM..YOU STUPID... ARROGANT...INSOLENT LITTLE...!"

The enraged Senior Malfoy had been cut off when he noted the eerie glowing eyes in the shadows. The sudden chill made the hairs on the end of his neck stand on end.

"What the fuck?" asked Lucius turning his attention to the glowing as he tightened his grip on his wand. "Miss Granger, Potter prepare yourselves...I believe there is someone watching us."

Hermione gripped her wand tightly as she tried to focus on the eerie glow in the darkness.

Harry had not been able to tell very much of anything was happening until he made out a distinctive hiss in the darkness. His green eyes widened as he turned to look at Lucius Malfoy.

It seemed the Slytherin had caught on before Harry could question his discovery.

"The chamber of secrets." he said drawing his wand. "You fucking idiot...you transported us to the chamber of secrets!"

Hermione's eyes widened at the implication.

"Then that means..." she started.

An angry hissing filled her ears as semi-torches lit along the ancient columns that lined the walls.

"No..." said Harry gripping his own wand tighter. "Not a basilisk...the Head of Slytherin."

All three of them bore witness to a giant serpent with cold obsidian eyes standing itself up as it sought to make them prey.

"Oh fuck." said Lucius not at all okay with this turn of events.

The enormous green scaled creature appeared to take little to no time in deciding it's next course of action as it's large mouth opened to reveal highly poisonous fangs and a sleek red tongue.

"Bana...ans...gi/e... praughs...ans...!" it hissed. _"Se...Snart ans...Se...fraeslis..."_

"H-He speaks..." said Harry amazed that even with Voldemort dead his ability seemed to still be intact.

"What's he saying then?" asked Lucius not at all liking their collective odds as he looked up at the serpent beast.

"He...he says "Cold one...e-eat...proud one?" said Harry trying to understand this creature. "No smart one...no friend."

Hermione's ears perked.

"He...said those exact words?" she asked.

"Yes." replied Harry.

"He's trying to eat Harry." said Hermione.

The green eyed wizard glared at her.

"What?" asked Lucius with an arched eyebrow as the creature began to coil in the distance.

"Severus often referred to me as Smart one in Parseltongue...and one can only assume that friend means... you Lucius." she explained. "So naturally...that leave the proud one."

"Potter." said Lucius with a grin as he put away his wand. "I wish I could say that it's been nice knowing you..."

"Hey!" shouted Harry angrily. "You can't let him eat me...Dumbledore wouldn't like it..."

"Sod Dumbledore." replied Lucius annoyed. "I told him not to send you in here in the first place.

"It doesn't matter." sighed Hermione. "As much as Harry deserves it, we can't let Severus kill him."

"Why not?" asked Lucius already knowing the answer.

"Because it will only serve to make Severus feel worse." replied Hermione with a sigh.

With a well timed roll of his eyes, the handsome blond wizard again drew his wand.

It had not been lost on him that here in the dark recces of Severus' Snape's mind...that his wand had looked very much the same as it had on the outside if this wretched place.

"While we're young Potter." he said bitterly.

Harry nodded and sent a flurry of spells toward the enormous serpent.

"BANA ANS... GI-S-E...OU!" it shouted enraged as it began to administer lethal strikes at the three magically enhanced individuals.

Hermione sent a flourish of spells followed by Lucius.

It only served to make the creature even more angry.

It's consistent hiss ringing in the ears of it's combatants.

Lucius narrowed his eyes at the raging serpent. He had not feared this creature as much as the two Gryffindors and noted that it hardly took a chance to strike him.

"Strange?" he said noting the intended part of the creature to miss during attack whenever he had been in it's line of fire.

"What's strange?" asked Hermione immediately picking up on the inquisitive tone in the handsome blond wizard's change in demeanor.

"It doesn't appear that this beast can see me." said Lucius.

"Or maybe it thinks you're a snake too considering what your former Hogwarts house is." muttered Harry.

Lucius rolled his eyes although the thought had crossed his mind.

The creature referred to itself as "cold one", perhaps that had been some sort of key to defeating it.

Hermione continued to fire hexes at the serpent.

Harry narrowly avoided the strike that had seemingly come out of nowhere.

The hiss filling everyone's ears the longer this went on.

"He really hates you Harry." said Hermione.

"Gee thanks for the update Hermione." replied the green eyed wizard annoyed.

"Serves you right." replied the bushy haired witch.

"How many times do I have to apologize?" asked Harry sending spells the enormous serpent's way.

"Try five years in Azkaban worth...git." replied Hermione narrowing her amber eyes while she sent a few spells at the serpent as well.

Lucius had managed to leave the two magically inclined youths to their bickering as he made his way toward the darkened serpent. It did not seem to notice him as he found himself following his instinct and climbing the creature.

The handsome Slytherin reached the head of the hissing beast and drew the sword part of his serpent cane. He smirked as he aimed it at the center of the creatures great head and drove it in deep.

There was a good deal of shouting before what looked like green ooze splashed about as the serpent tried in vain to dislodge the blade Lucius sunk into it. It appeared the serpent still could not see him. Taking the hint of impending doom, Lucius slid off the back of the serpent and made his way back toward Harry and Hermione.

"Raise your wands." he said.

The two Gryffindors did as he instructed.

"All together." he said.

 _"EXPELLIAMUS!"_ they shouted in unison. _"SECTUMSEMPRA!"_

The combined force of magic was too much for the creature and it had been blasted to pieces before it disintegrated leaving nothing behind. Harry looked at Lucius Malfoy in awe. He had gotten a glimpse at the severed head of the serpent before it blew away. He did not understand how Lucius knew so much about how to destroy it.

"H-How did you know what to do?" he asked through ragged breath.

The handsome blond wizard simply shrugged.

"I know weakness when I see it." he replied. "Was probably the point given who's mind this is...all I had to do was take into account that Severus was the Head of Slytherin House."

Hermione shook her head. It seemed it was just like Severus to have a mind with lesson giving traps and shadows. He was a Potions Professor after all, even formerly.

"Severus, the Head of Slytherin." she said with a smirk noting how clever Lucius had been in this instance. "Sever the head of Slytherin."

"Indeed." replied Lucius noting her line of thinking.

Harry arched an eyebrow.

"Since when are you two best mates?" he asked.

"Since my little brother chose to claim her with his cock." replied Lucius unable to resist a quip at Harry.

"I hate you." said Harry not at all wishing to revisit the afternoon they walked in on Snape and Hermione at Dumbledore manor.

"Not as much as you are hated via a collective census." replied Lucius. "Shall we continue?"

There had been no sign of Severus in this place. That left only two places to search.

"We have his mind's version of The Forbidden Forest and..." started Hermione before she trailed off.

"Azkaban." finished Lucius seeing the looming house of horrors in the vast distance of the abyss.

He had not been too fond of his first trip to that pit of hell, he could only imagine what Severus had endured after being thrown in twice now.

"Well...let's get moving." said Harry tightening his grip on his wand.

The three of them proceeded down the darkened path toward the nightmarish forbidden forest. Hermione had hoped they could find whatever was causing the wizard so much distress and put a stop to it before he possibly became even more damaged. While she had not been happy that either Lucius or Harry tagged along, it seemed that there had been a reason for their arrival, and given Lucius' assistance with the serpent, it was much needed. Although the same could not be said for Harry Potter being in Severus's mind. It seemed even here he was prone to disaster.


	62. Chapter 61:Cask Of The Serpent

**Chapter 61:** _ **Cask Of The Serpent**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...I know it's been a while...late post}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"I'm not a criminal...I'm not the villain...Yeah this is personal...A drive-by killing...Your guns are loaded...And your lies are the bullets...So here is the trigger...Go ahead and pull it now...Are you sure you wanna play this game?...Are you sure you wanna play it?...The only thing worse than a hater...The only thing worse than a hater...Is a traitor...A traitor...A traitor...You put a knife out in my back...Killed any history we had and now it's war...War...Like a thief in the night...Robbed daylight...You stole my sanity, and now...You are the enemy..."} Traitor, Daughtry**_

 _The Forbidden Forest, Unknown World..._

 _ **H**_ igh winds and swirling clouds of darkness had been all around as Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Lucius Malfoy made their way deep into the forbidden forest of Severus Snape's fractured mind. They had not known what to expect in the real forbidden forest, but to have to deal with whatever was going to come out as a result of the Potions Master's sick mind had been something else entirely. They each gripped their wands tightly as they could as they sifted through the darkened bushes. There had been a sound, an unmistakable sound of something flowing between rocks. Harry's bright emerald eyes widened as he tried to recall where he had heard the sound of a stream last.

"It's a stream up here." he said impulsively taking off without a hint of regard for his or anyone else's safety.

"Wait Potter... you idiot!" shouted Lucius fed up with the accursed impulsive nature of The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Blunder-Every-Possible-Plan-To-Stay-Alive.

Hermione had been just as annoyed as Lucius seeing for once how stupid her house traits would be to a Slytherin.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" came the inevitable cry of distress from the idiot boy that was Harry Potter.

Lucius and Hermione made their way into the thick black shrubs and bushes to get a look at Harry Potter being dangled about the neck by a very long pale arm clad in ebony.

The lank raven hair had been unmistakable as the figure's impressive height and lean build.

"Severus." said Hermione unable to get the image of her tormented lover out of her mind.

This version of Severus Snape had been clad in ebony like usual and more or less fully grown with an aggressive streak to boot.

"Potter." he growled rather murderously, revealing a strange black glow behind his soulless obsidian eyes.

"Severus?" said Lucius recognizing all too well what had been before them.

"Severus..." said Hermione hoping to appeal to her tormented lover. "Put Harry down..."

The twisted form of Severus Snape a strange mix of the and a Dementor from Azkaban as he hovered near the ground his trademark ebony robes billowing in the distance. Hermione noted the cold that seemed to radiate off his lean pale form. His lank raven hair greasy like so many years before at Hogwarts falling at length onto his ebony clad shoulders.

His grip seemed to tighten around Harry Potter's throat.

"SO YOU BELIEVE YOURSELF TO BE THE ONE IN CHARGE OF MY FATE DO YOU POTTER!?" he growled rather enraged. "YOU DARE ASSUME YOU CAN RULE OVER MY EXISTENCE!?...YOU DARE CHALLENGE THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE...!"

Harry struggled in the enraged Professor's grasp.

"P-Professor...p-please..." he gasped.

The enraged Snape seemed amused by Harry's pleas.

"Quiet boy." he said not at all sympathetic to the green eyed Gryffindor's plight.

"Severus." said Hermione finding herself filled with a good deal of concern for Harry Potter despite being enraged by his antics. "Don't hurt him..."

"Look Potter..." he hissed in disgust as his pale lips curled in reaction to her words. "It seems you've made a friend."

Lucius had no words not at all understanding why Severus was behaving this way initially. Then he noted the black mist that seemed to radiate off him and surround them all the longer they stood there.

"What the hell?" said the handsome blond wizard coming to a very disastrous conclusion.

"Severus." said Hermione attempting to get this creature's attention.

The demented version of Severus Snape hissed as his black eyes fell upon the curious bushy haired witch.

"I'LL NOT ADHERE TO YOUR COMMANDS WITCH!" shouted the dementor Snape.

"I am not commanding you Severus." she replied. "I have a request."

The demented version of Severus Snape gripped Harry Potter's throat as it glared murderously at Hermione.

"Your request?" he asked impatient.

"Take me to him." she said without regard for her own safety. "I know you know where he is."

Harry had been confused by Hermione's request as had been Lucius.

"Mione don't..." he began feeling the demented Snape tighten his grip once more about his neck.

"So the witch wishes to see the tormented?" he asked dropping Harry onto the cold hard ground.

"I do." replied Hermione bravely. "I wish to see Severus...my Severus...he needs me...this place is too much for him."

"Are you implying he has a weakness?" asked the demented Snape a measure of pride in his tone.

"Not at all." replied the bushy haired witch knowing full well how to deal with him. "The last thing I need is for this place to reinforce his already morbid ideals."

The demented version of Snape turned it's attention back to Harry.

"You have insulted me for the last time Potter." it hissed rather angrily.

Once again Harry was caught in the creatures grasp and before Lucius Malfoy or Hermione Granger could react, they evaporated in a cloud of black mist.

"HARRY!" shouted Hermione fearful of what her tormented lover had in store for the boy who lived.

"We'd better find Potter before he causes more damage." said the embittered Senior Malfoy.

"And where do you suppose we should look?" asked Hermione more than a bit frustrated at the level of wrong done to her already broken lover.

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"Come now Miss Granger." he said with an arrogant smirk. "How can you claim to love my brother and not know his favorite pass-times?"

"Aside from drinking himself to sleep and a good deal of sex?" asked Hermione bitterly.

Lucius' eyes widened for a moment.

"Well...naturally." he replied more than a bit surprised by his younger brother's antics as of late. "I mean his very muggle habits."

Hermione had been about to hex him for the apparent disdain for her upbringing but realized that he had been onto something.

"Of course." she said getting an idea straight away. "And I know just the place to start looking for them."

She took off toward a ghastly cemetery with Lucius Malfoy racing by her side.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 _Eerie Cemetery,Unknown Location..._

Harry Potter had been terrified as the demented form of Severus Snape dragged him into what looked to be a crypt. He shouted at him but the language was lost in the wake of the green eyed wizard's out right terror. They moved quickly as Harry began to note the rumbling of Snape's voice the closer they got to the darkened crypt and moved deeper still.

 _ **THE thousand injuries of... Potter I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled -but the very definitive with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is undressed when retribution overtakes its redresses. It is equally undressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.**_

Harry's eyes widened as the intended whisper of Snape's dark words had been for him.

Flashes passed by them as Harry realized his role in Snape's suffering had become much more clear. He recalled the mud, the slick sinking mud made from the frequent rains as he chased after the ebony cloaked figure across the castle grounds. The rage in his heart as he aimed his wand at the fumbling Potions Professor whom had been in excruciating agony in the wake of the despot Voldemort's demise.

 _{ Harry Potter continued to chase after the Potions Professor whom had dropped his own wand in the mixture of runny dirt and sinking slosh known as mud. He scrambled like a cat cornered by a wolf pack as if he had been desperately searching for a way out. The green eyed wizard had been hot on his trail with Hermione Granger not far behind him._

 _The first burst of magic from his wand had been strangely exhilarating. Snape had not known what hit him as he splashed about the mud and muck trying to get away. The current Headmaster's shoulder length raven hair had been soaked from the rains and splashed with little brown splatters of mud in the wake of his thrashing._

 _"You're not going anywhere Snape!" Harry had shouted. His emerald eyes ablaze with fury and hatred beyond all reason._

 _"Don't do this Harry." said the voice of reason in the wake of the brutal assault. "This isn't right!"_

 _"Like Hell it isn't!" shouted Harry drunk off his own rage. "Snape's going to pay for what he's done!"_

 _Severus Snape struggled to breath between the blasts from Potter's wand and the pain resulting from his dark mark._

 _"P-Potter..." he said out of breath. "Stop this...you know not of which you speak...Dumbledore is..."_

 _Before he could finish Harry had cast his own spell to ensure his punishment had been brutal._

 _"Sectumsempra!" shouted the irate green eyed wizard._

 _Snape let out a sound that seemed to rock Hermione Granger to her very core as tears began to flow down her cheeks._

 _"HARRY STOP THIS MADNESS!" she shouted. "Professor Snape deserves a fair trial...we don't even know what happened!"_

 _"I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!" shouted Harry turning his rage on her briefly. "SNAPE KILLED DUMBLEDORE!"_

 _Hermione once more tried to get through to her friend._

 _"What if you're wrong Harry?" she asked taking consideration that they knew not all the facts pertaining to this case and it wouldn't be the first time Harry accused Snape of something he had been innocent of given what happened their first year. "What if Professor Snape is telling the truth and you murder him?"_

 _"HE KILLED DUMBLEDORE!" shouted Harry not at all willing to debate this. "HE'S JUST AS BAD AS VOLDEMORT!"_

 _"Harry." said Hermione trying to reason with him._

 _"I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!" said Harry enraged. "DUMBLEDORE TRUSTED HIM AND SNAPE JUST KILLED HIM!"_

 _"Harry please." she pleaded. "Let the courts handle this."_

 _The green eyed wizard glared at the beaten Potions Professor as he struggled to breathe on the ground._

 _"You'll get what you deserve Snape." he said bitterly. "Wither they punish you or not."}_

Harry had not known just how insane he looked that night as he pursued the already ailing Headmaster. More importantly, he had noticed how Hermione Granger had been so compassionate toward the ailing Potions Professor. Her kind words pouring into his ear like the sweetest honey ever created. His trembling ceased when her gentle touch had been set upon him. The emerald eyed wizard noted his cruelty as well as his friend's compassion for the strange Potions Professor despite there not being any real connection between the two of them at the time.

Images of Snape's trial came flooding back in clear images. Harry saw himself jump over the bench and attack Snape as the guards pulled him away.

 _{Harry Potter lept at Snape striking him in his already bruised face. The Potions Master had been bound and could not defend himself from the series of hard blows. His ribs had already been bruised and his body battered by physical and magical attacks from his various tormentors. His obsidian eyes locked onto Hermione as she came to him trying her best to wipe the blood from his face before the guards dragged him away. Harry had noted the sadness and determination behind Hermione's amber eyes as she watched Snape disappear from her sight but the force of the blows he suffered from his escorts had been heard by all in attendance. }_

The emerald eyed wizard dropped to his knees not wishing to view more of Snape's torment in this darkened place. The dementor that resembled Snape had not been finished with him as he pulled the already sorry younger wizard further through the darkened cask.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 _Eerie Cemetery, Unknown Location..._

Hermione had guessed correctly that Snape's mind had been triggering the works of Edgar Allen Poe and she led Lucius Malfoy through the strange looking cask in a bid to track down Harry. Lucius had been thoroughly disgusted by the sight of this place. He often made remarks about Snape's unhealthy association with spiders and dark damp places. He had no idea why such a place had been in his little brother's mind but it was clear the old boy had been a few bricks short of a load.

"Remind me never to venture into Severus' mind again if I can help it." he said making a show of dusting off his attire. "This place is positively filthy and not in a good way."

"This place is a result of severe trauma." said Hermione defending her lover's psyche. "Had everyone learned to leave Severus alone there would been no reason for him to have been mentally shattered in this manner."

"I suppose you've got a point." said Lucius. "So how much further to this cask any way?"

"We've got a way but Harry is probably not having a very fun experience." she replied as she continued to move through the darkened place.

"Serves the little shit right." muttered Lucius. "After all he's done to Severus, he's lucky I don't strangle him outright."

"I know how you feel." said Hermione. "But we have to focus on making sure Severus is well again."

"Fine." said the senior Malfoy. "But afterwards no promises when it comes to breaking Potter's neck."

The pair continued to make their way through the cobwebs and tunnels of bodies. The old crypt had been all the more strange as it had been a place of dead dreams as opposed to dead relatives. Truth be told Snape knew very little about his deceased family members on either side. He had barely known a thing about his own parents for what little time he spent with them. It further saddened Hermione that he had been so alone for so long.

"Keep moving." she instructed Lucius.

The senior Malfoy gave no argument noting the sooner they found Potter the sooner they could get to Severus and out of this strange mausoleum of death and sadness.


	63. Chapter 62:Prince Of Sorrow, Prince Of

**Chapter 62:** _ **Prince Of Sorrow, Prince Of Pain**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...late post}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"There's no holding me back...I'm not driven by fear...I'm just driven by anger...And you're under attack...I'm just climbing up slowly...I'm the one and only...The tease, the way you lie...The stumble in your mind...The fear, the hope inside...They hit here...Hit here...But whatever you need...'Ever you got...'Ever you want...I'll take back again...Whatever you need...'Ever you got...'Ever you want... "} Whatever, Our Lady Peace**_

 _Azkaban Prison,Unknown World..._

 _ **O**_ bsidian flickered with a slow boiling rage as Severus Snape heard the definite whispers of his young conquest echoing in his rather fractured mind. The haunting chill of his darkened past had been noticeable as well. Snape flexed his strained muscles beneath the weight of his restraints. The iron fetters cut deeply into the flesh of his wrists but he didn't seem all that interested in the pain as he focused his attention on Hermione Granger's voice. He could feel her moving about in his mind, her touch like a welcome ray of the sun on a chilly afternoon. Her amber eyes as much a beacon to him as they had been when he had been trapped in this rotted cell for five years paying for a crime he never committed due to the unjust treatment of his fellow order members, especially that of Harry James Potter.

She had come to him, even when he turned her away with hate and venom.

He had cursed her in the name of stupidity and attempted repeatedly to sway her from her cause. He found out much later that she had lost so much from her reputation to her friends and various employment opportunities. The recollection of seeing those men attempt to rape the poor girl all in a bid to punish him.

The times he heard even from her own trauma effected mind that she had been called his whore due to Potter's insensitivity to his own friend's plight. He struggled against the binds as he envisioned how given to panic she would be if he did not respond to her. As much as he teased and flirted with the bushy haired witch, her tears had been the most powerful of aspects pertaining to her as a person. The reflection of her inner innocence not marked by the scars of the war nor the torment of being outcast from wizarding society.

He had to get back to her.

She had needed him.

And if he was honest with himself.

He had needed her just as much.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 _The Cask, Unknown Location..._

Harry Potter had come face to face with a room lined with caskets. The dementor form of Snape hovered over quite a few. It pushed the now cautious younger wizard toward one of the caskets and urged him to open it. Harry had not been too sure about opening the strange tomb and disturbing what lay inside but he found he could not refuse the enraged creature.

With a trembling hand, Harry Potter opened the nearest casket.

Once the lid had been removed he found himself shocked into silence as he had come face to face with a man resembling Severus Snape in minor features such as his height and body structure. This man's hair had been short and brown. He wore very muggle like attire and Harry could tell he had worked with his hands a great deal, they were rough and calloused much like Snape's when he had been Potions Master at Hogwarts.

Harry briefly recalled when Snape grabbed his wrist in a bid to lead him down to the dungeons for Occulemency lessons.

 _"Mudborn."_ said the voice of a particularly enraged teenage Severus Snape.

The body in the casket began to move and climbed out after opening it's eyes. Harry noted that the man's eyes were brown. The formerly dead man stood at an impressive and towering height as he locked eyes with the utterly confused Harry Potter. Blood had been spilling from the man's battered body as he continued to approach Harry.

"You have no place here, filthy _Mudborn!"_ hissed Snape angrily. "And you will pay for what you've done."

The one called " _Mudborn"_ a name that made Harry cringe as he noted the elevating hostility in Teen Snape's voice. It mirrored his own not too long ago when he wanted to kill Snape back at Hogwarts for the supposed murder of Dumbledore. Hermione had been the voice of reason and the spirit of compassion that day. The shame of his wayward feelings had made Harry feel so small.

"H-He's your father." said Harry finding his voice as he began to understand whom it was that stood before him. "Y-You killed him."

Tobias Snape smirked as he held up his hand brandishing what had clearly been a kitchen knife dripping with blood.

Harry had only a second to react before the crazed muggle stabbed him but before he could he heard a familiar voice in the darkness.

 _"EXPELLIAMUS!"_ came the voice that had gotten both his and Snape's father's attention shortly before he went sailing across the room.

Harry's eyes widened as he turned to face a wand welding Hermione Granger with Lucius Malfoy on her heels.

"Starting the party without us Potter?" asked the Senior Malfoy flicking his wand as well.

"Well, it wasn't due to any intention on my part." said Harry pleased for the first time to see the two of them.

Tobias Snape got to his feet after the force of that blast and had been well on his way to attacking Hermione.

"A woman should know her place." hissed the enraged man still welding his knife.

Before she could launch another spell, Lucius Malfoy intervened.

"My I cut in." he said firing spell after spell at the seemingly invincible dead muggle.

The Senior Malfoy had been anxious to get his hands on Snape's father for quite some time, but he relented as The Dark Lord issued the murder of Tobias Snape as the boy's initiation into The Death Eater ranks.

"Your fight is with me now." The gray eyes of the handsome older wizard had been filled with hatred as he looked upon the bastard that had caused his little brother so much pain.

"We can't seem to damage him." said Harry not sure what they could do against Tobias Snape, he seemed to be incapable of being killed.

Hermione had been hard at work trying to figure out how to stop such a powerful foe. She deduced that Tobias had already been dead but there had been something from Snape's mind that was keeping him alive.

"Guilt." said the amber eyed witch suddenly figuring out what she had been trying to find. "Severus feels guilty about his murder."

Harry arched an eyebrow at this.

"What do you mean he feels guilty?" he asked confused about this entire situation.

Suddenly, another casket opened and out came a bloodied and multiply stabbed Eileen Snape, wearing the same blood soaked cotton dress that Snape had seen her in that night on the kitchen floor. She looked so much like her son it gave both Gryffindors pause.

"Figure out the rest, Miss Granger." said Eileen not at all in a menacing tone, but like that of a pleasant mother figure. "Find my son."

She turned her attention to Tobias Snape, her former husband and murderer.

"You will not hurt him any longer." she said narrowing her own obsidian eyes at the deranged muggle.

The powerful witch summoned her own magic and disabled her violent husband as Lucius barely escaped being stabbed by the seemingly invulnerable man.

"Make your way through the tunnel." instructed Eileen Snape. "Severus is beyond the wall and trapped by my father in his old cell."

Hermione's eyebrow arched at this.

"Y-Your father?" she asked.

Harry Potter balled his fist tightening his grip around his wand.

"Mathias Prince." he nearly hissed in rage.

"I should have known that slimy bastard wouldn't go quietly." added Lucius. "He's attempting to commandeer Severus' body!"

"Of course he is." said Hermione gripping her own wand tightly. "How can we expect anything less from something so low and cowardly as he?"

Seemingly in agreement for the first time, the three magical practitioners headed toward the end of the tunnel while Eileen Snape kept her deranged murderous husband at bay to allow them all to reach Azkaban, and her beloved son before her father's twisted plan could come into fruition.


	64. Chapter 63:A Willful Way

**Chapter 63:** _ **A Willful Way**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Why don't you let me be...Leave me alone...You start a fire inside that I could never control...You want to see a reaction...Come on and cut me down...You've gone as far as I'll go...Now you're crossing the line...And I am letting you know...Well here's your reaction...Stand up...I have had enough...Walk away before I finish what you started...Face to face I will put you in your place...End this game before I finish what you started...Face to face everything will change..."} Stand Up, Trapt**_

 _Azkaban,Unknown World..._

 _ **L**_ ily Evans Potter's emerald green eyes flickered with amusement as Snape glared at her from his cell. His raven hair had been slick from sweat and blood as he continued to struggle against the iron fetters keeping him in place. It figured Mathias would use Lily, given she had so much influence over his life in the past and her memory had always haunted him but this was getting to work on his nerves. The arrogant witch stepped into the cell and made her way toward the bloodied wizard.

Despite being blooded and beaten, Snape glared at her with murder behind his obsidian eyes.

"Looks like LeStrange has done a good job of teaching you, your proper place." said Lily spitefully.

Snape smirked as she spoke he could sense Hermione nearby but had not been able to do anything to hurry her advancement.

"It seems like your little harlot is attempting to rescue you Sev." said Lily smugly. "It's too bad that there is nothing she can do at this point."

"I wouldn't be too sure." replied Snape spiting out blood as he continued to glare at the former love of his life. "My witch is capable of a great deal more than you ever were."

Lily's emerald green eyes narrowed at hearing him compare her to the younger Gryffindor witch.

"I'm sure Hermione can do a great many things, but she will never have full possession of your wayward soul as I do." she spat.

Snape smirked.

"Well, well...I didn't figure you for the jealous sort Lilian." he said in a smug fashion of his own. "You'd think after you ran off with Potter and his twisted little club house buddies you'd have gotten over our time together."

Lily said nothing as she stood near the tormented wizard a scowl filed across her pale face.

Snape took in the sight of her red hair and watched as a small breeze happened by making it sway. There was a time when just the sight of that would have made him weak in the knees, but he was no longer a foolish boy unused to the wanderings of the heart. He had been hurt time and time again by this witch, her death an even more cruel joke as if she wanted to rub it further in his face that he could never obtain her heart.

Now, he had been a grown man with his own tastes so to speak and the faux innocence Lily Evans Potter projected was never going to be enough for him, even in his own mind.

"It's too bad you never learned to truly appreciate my many talents." said Snape with a flicker of malice behind his eyes. "Hermione seems to be grateful for your folly, I know I am."

Lily suddenly slapped him across the face.

Snape spit more blood as the Princess of innocence was finally sinking to getting her own hands dirty when it came to his punishments.

"Was that all?" he asked unimpressed. " _Mudblood_?"

Lily slapped him once more and Snape seemed to be ready for her as he gripped her by the throat with his shackled hands and strangled her until her body fell limp on the floor of his cell. Snape enjoyed the heavy scent of jasmine in the air as he thought of Hermione Granger once more. The resourceful wizard used his stored wand-less magic to break his bindings and made his way outside of the cell leaving Lily Potter's body in his wake. Snape felt little to no remorse for the witch. She had always been self-serving.

Newly freed from his cell and set loose in Azkaban, Snape recalled the route he took when Hermione had released him from this Merlin awful place in the wizarding world. He had been feverish and weak but he knew where to find the exit. The cold gray walls had been an eyesore to say the least but they were the least of his concerns when he narrowly missed a patrolling dementor.

The Potions Master's bloodied form became one with the shadows as he slipped quietly towards what looked like a fragile wall.

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 _Crypt Tunnel,Unknown World..._

Lucius Malfoy had been the first to reach the strange wall that blocked off the end of the tunnel he drew his wand to examine the damage to the seemingly indestructible structure. Harry had been much too busy trying to ensure Snape's dead parents didn't follow them. There had been a lot more caskets in that place than he wanted to count and he had not known what they held given the status of Snape's deranged mind. He had half expected to run into the bodies of his own deceased parents given all that Hermione had said about this crypt containing the bodies of those Snape felt immense guilt over killing or some action he didn't take that might have prevented their deaths. The amber eyed witch herself had been much more concerned for her tormented lover than the status of herself and current companions.

"Find anything yet?" she asked Lucius whom had continued to search the wall.

"No nothing yet." he replied in a gruff tone more from concentration than annoyance at her. "I'll let you know when I do."

Hermione turned her attention to Harry Potter. She had not had much to say to her former friend since his arrival in Snape's mind but she had plenty of venom considering his antics. The young witch could not understand why he had become such a monster in the later years of their so called friendship, or rather if they had truly been friends at all.

The green eyed wizard stared at his hands as he stood in silence. His shame had been evident as he struggled to come to terms with what he had done to this man, this hero whom had risked everything to ensure he survived the war against Voldemort.

Harry had seen barely a glimpse of what Snape had to go through to keep him safe. The weight of his own actions against The Potions Master had been heavy on his mind as he paced. They knew next to nothing about how to save the poor wizard and the effects of what was done to him in that twisted place had been so terrible that he suffered a mental breakdown because of it.

Hermione had been about to say something when they were suddenly rocked by repeated trembling. Lucius had been struggling to concentrate on how to remove the wall before them as it had been heavily warded just like in the wizarding world. The amber eyed witch suddenly thought of something.

"Harry, I need you to speak in parseltongue." she said moving away from the wall.

"What?" asked the green eyed wizard. "Why would you want me to?"

"Just do it." replied Hermione with a serious expression on her face.

"W-Well what do you want me to say?" asked Harry unsure what this was going to do for them.

"Call for Severus." said the amber eyed witch. "Call him "cold one" in parseltongue."

Harry didn't understand but given their history he learned quickly to trust Hermione's instincts.

"Step back Lucius." she said.

The senior Malfoy didn't have to be told twice.

"Do you mind telling me what's going on?" he asked as he stepped beside Hermione clearly just as confused as Potter had been about this latest plan of hers.

"I'm sure." replied the determined witch. "Just make sure you step back Harry."

Potter nodded and tried his best to remember the words Hermione had instructed him to say.

" _Bana ans...hesleuf...snart ans... brine"_ hissed Harry almost as if he were simply Hermione's active translator. " _Snart ans...fraeslis...bana ans...fraeslis!"_

Tremors shook the ground as a deep hiss filled their ears.

 _"snart ans..."_ hissed whatever had been lurking in the dark.

Lucius looked at Hermione possibly hoping to reconsider trusting her judgement at this point.

"Please tell me that is not what I believe it..." he said feeling an eerie chill run down his spine as he gripped his wand. "Merlin help us...what have you done girl...you've summoned..."

The tremors continued to get worse as Hermione and Harry barely had been able to keep their balance.

Within seconds the ground seemingly split apart and a giant version of Voldemort's serpent Nagini came from deep below them. Hermione had been gripping her wand as she directed Harry to stand up right in the wake of the shaking.

"Finish the translation." she urged him.

Harry nodded once he recovered from the shock of seeing the infamous serpent.

 _"Nagini vas!"_ he hissed.

As if being commanded by Voldemort himself, Nagini burst through the wall causing it to crumble in her wake then she dived back into the ground as if she had pressing business. Lucius had been standing on a toppled stone with his eyes widened in shock. Never before had he been so fearful of that wretched serpent.

"Let's hope that she continues to be useful." he said composing himself. "Anyway, shall we continue forward?"

Hermione had not waited for the formal invitation, she immediately made her way through the broken wall leading into Azkaban. Harry and Lucius had not been far behind as they entered the private hell of the wizarding world. It would only be a matter of time before they found Severus, but the question of how long he could hold out against Mathias' blatant attempts to take over his body had been on everyone's mind as they stepped into the darkness.

"We have to find him." said Hermione determined. "He can't take much more of this."

"We will little sister." replied Lucius confident in their attempts so far. "And when we do Mathias will finally get what's coming to him."

"A one way trip to hell." agreed Harry narrowing his emerald eyes as he too found his drive.

This was his chance to finally make things right, or as right as Hermione and Lucius will allow him to make it. The three of them ventured further into the twisted darkened prison of Azkaban as Snape's warped mind saw it unsure of what new horrors awaited them with their every step getting them closer to the inner sanctum and to the inevitable confrontation with the elusive Mathias Prince.


	65. Chapter 64:The Halls Of Anguish

**Chapter 64:** _ **The Halls Of Anguish**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Azkaban,Unknown World..._

 _ **D**_ arkness had been stretched before the ailing Potions Master as he continued to make his way through the prison of Azkaban. His weary beaten form needing the support of the cold stone wall to keep him up right as he moved slowly toward the focus point that drove his current actions. He had known she was there, he could sense her from miles away. The scent of jasmine from her notoriously bushy brown hair had been etched into the deepest recesses of his memories. The warmth of her soft touch able to ward off the coldest nights. Her eyes held the promise of a future thought so long ago to be out of his reach, a vast and as unfathomable as the sky, it was all too clear that freedom...even from this horror show of hell had always come through the tireless efforts of Hermione Granger. The Potions Master's heart beat thunderously in his chest causing his ears to pick up the only sound for miles as he continued to move about in the darkness. Despite believing romantic notions to be irrelevant when it came to his relationship with his former student, Snape could not deny even to himself that everything in him seemed to scream out for the witch.

As he continued, blood dripped from his very severe wounds and the pain was excruciating. However, it did little to deter him from his path. She had been so close. He could already feel the anticipation of being around her once more. Still moving along the cold stone wall, Severus Snape attempted to catch his breath. He had run into several dead ends and narrowly avoided the dementors as they continued to patrol the prison. He had thought about making various escape attempts during his original five year sentence. The beatings and shock treatments had been more than enough to give him cause to run. The only thing that seemed to keep him from breaking under the strain of his harsh punishments had been a certain amber eyed witch.

 _"Sa...sa... snart ans..."_ he hissed in parseltongue as he continued to make his way toward the place he believed Hermione Granger to have been.

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 _Azkaban, Unknown World..._

Hermione Granger had been on edge as soon as they entered the unsavory prison. She had been so close to Severus that she could literally feel his presence but she had no idea which direction to begin their search. There were dead ends and twisted traps every where they turned not to mention a handful of patrolling dementors seeking wayward prisoners and kissing attempted escapees. Lucius had been strangely silent as they continued to make their way down a darkened corridor, the only sound coming from the handsome blond wizard had been the clicking of his good dress shoes against the stone floor.

The amber eyed witch thought perhaps it had been due to Lucius' own previous stay in this horrid place that he seemed to grow more tense with each step they too. Unlike his fellow death eaters from the first war, Lucius had managed to escape being thrown into Azkaban with the rest of the lot including Snape the first time around and as a result the others resented him for it. Voldemort having been fed up with the senior Malfoy's constant and unknown to be purposely done failures, had him imprisoned as punishment. The wizard spent only three months in Azkaban but it severely warped him as a result.

He gripped his wand tightly as they moved about the prison, his tense body ready to cast a spell at the first sign of a dementor.

Harry Potter had been having his own complications as he ventured further into Azkaban. The twisted nightmarish place had been where he had a hand in sending Severus Snape. The place where Sirius Black spent twelve years of his life unjustly accused of a crime he never committed while no one would listen.

The full ramifications of his actions hit Harry hard as his emerald green eyes became swelled with tears. He balled his fists as his anger at himself increased. He had behaved no better than the lazy witches and wizards that assumed Sirius had anything to do with his parents murder when it had been Pettigrew whom had done all the betraying and framework.

He had done to Snape what everyone had done to Sirius.

Twelve years the poor wizard had suffered in this place, and all for love of a dear friend whom had been taken away from him by Voldemort. The green eyed wizard could not control his anguish as he noted that the same had been true for Snape. Snape had cared a great deal for Harry's mother and she had been taken away from him by James Potter and Voldemort.

"I-I should never have incited them to place him here." said Harry suddenly breaking the long held silence.

"What's done is done Harry." said Hermione not at all wishing to hear her ex-best friend's bout of self-loathing.

"Focus on the task at hand." added Lucius speaking up for the first time as well. "The last thing we need is another one of your blatant attempts to make this about you, Potter."

Harry sighed.

That had not been his intention but, he could see the importance of forgoing his current thoughts in a bid to focus on what may lie ahead.

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 _Azkaban, Unknown World..._

Severus Snape found himself entering a strange room, far enough away from the holding cells to assume it had been a type of officer's barracks. He approached rather cautiously seeking out any stragglers in terms of defense in case of a break out. There had been very few actual guards at Azkaban from what he could recall from his time spent there, but they were fearsome wizards with an appetite for violence in the name of so called "justice" that would put even the most seasoned of death eaters to shame.

There still did not seem to be any sign of those guards but he remained watchful of them just the same. He recalled one in particular had delighted in beating him with magically crafted objects. Quite a few of the scars that decorated The Potions Master's pale flesh had been his doing, well the scars that weren't caused by Tobias, The Marauders, Voldemort and Dumbledore respectively.

Snape wondered if Hermione found her glimpse into his dangerously distorted mind as enlightening as she would have hoped back when she view his memories from the outside. The dangers his uncharted mind presented even to him were intimidating enough, but to someone whom had not been accustomed to this twisted world of pain and anguish it had to be more than they had bargained for.

The former Headmaster's knees weakened and it caused him to mis-step, at the last second he managed to throw himself further against the wall in a bid to keep from hitting the stone floor below. The sudden movement caused one of the patrolling dementors to take an interest in the area of the corridor and he could already feel the icy chill of the sentient creature as it hovered above him it's wispy robes of the darkest black twisting and unfurling in the wake of it's magical aura.

Snape had barely contained his outburst when he felt pain surge through him due to his sudden movement. Sweat poured off him, dripping from his unkempt raven hair and onto the floor below. The dementor had hovered a bit in his direction but his lack of movement made sure that it gave up on any possibly means of discovery. Once the horrid creature had been gone, The ailing dark wizard made his way toward the seemingly empty barracks.

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 _Azkaban, Unknown World..._

Lucius Malfoy had been the first to hear what sounded like impending disaster as he grabbed both Harry and Hermione swiftly pulling them back in time to avoid the on coming chill from a free floating dementor. The handsome blond wizard had been all too ready to do battle with the wretched creature as Potter's clumsy feet struck a small stone that had come from the crumbled wall and kicked it into the distance. A swarm of dementors had been alerted to the noise and they immediately began showcasing their soul sucking abilities.

As the temperature began to drop rather drastically, Hermione and Harry both drew their wands standing with their backs to each other as the fiends of darkness hovered above them ready to administer their sinister brand of justice to the no doubt well scouted intruders.

"Any ideas?" the green eyed wizard asked Hermione as they continued to stand off against the advancing dementors.

"Will the patronus work here?" she asked.

"Only one way to find out." replied Harry lifting his wand. _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

The familiar silver stag burst from the tip of the green eyed wizard's wand as he held it against the tide of dementors.

 _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ shouted Hermione raising her wand and watching as a silvery beast emerged.

Her eyes widened as she recalled her patronus being that of an otter.

"Mione, your patronus has changed!" said Harry stunned as his silver stag did battle with the now retreating dementors.

The young Gryffindors were treated to the sight of a lion doing battle with the dementors as the stag impaled them on his silvery antlers. The Lion ripped away at them causing them to disintegrate in the wake of it's strong magical jaws snapping at their very being.

"Severus." whispered Hermione recalling the animagus form of the ill Potions Master she had been privy to at Dumbledore's manor.

Lucius Malfoy had been stunned as he watched the wretched beings scatter and vanish before his bewildered gray eyes. Still, despite the display it had not been enough to expel the creatures from this dark place, Azkaban was their native territory and there had been a lot more of them than capable witches and wizards to stand against them. The handsome blond wizard had continued to grip his wand unsure if even he could continue in the wake of the seemingly powerful dementor horde.

His shaken mind ventured back to his own time spent in this place. He could only imagine the horrors that occurred when Severus was unjustly thrown in here. The Senior Malfoy's mind had gone to his little brother and how he had been fairing in this horrid place. Five years had left him ill and mentally unhinged the last time he was sentenced to Azkaban. The damage revisiting that time could do to him had been a major concern.

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 _Azkaban, Unknown..._

Snape had managed to get into the barracks without being noticed given something had gotten the dementor's attention and they all flew in the direction of the disturbance. The Potions Master barely reached the stone room to find it had been empty and shrouded in darkness. His apparent relief of finally making it to his destination was short lived due to the sudden chill that filled him as he stood in the center of the room.

"Just when you assumed it was safe to take a moment to catch your breath." said an eerily familiar voice.

The former Headmaster turned in the direction of the voice to find himself face to face with an enemy long hated and yet so newly addressed. Snape balled his fists readying himself for whatever was to come next.


	66. Chapter 65:The Threat Of Envy

**Chapter 65: The Threat Of Envy**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...Late Post, Nice "Apology" we got this morning for the intentional murder of Snape, wasn't it?...in other news tried the whole Pottermore thing and I'm apparently Ravenclaw, the house I believe Snape and Hermione should have been sorted into from the very beginning but hey...I personally think Dumbledore had something to do with the current setup, also apparently I am a Horned Serpent, seems like the American Slytherin house to me so that's a plus, My Patronus is said to be an Eagle Owl...strange I suppose?}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Sever...Now and forever...You're just another lost soul about to be mine again...See her, you'll never free her...You must surrender it all...In your life to meet again...Fire...All you desire...As she begins to turn cold and run out of time...You will shiver...Till you deliver...You will remember it all...Let it blow your mind again..."} Inside The Fire, Disturbed**_

 _Azkaban,Unknown World..._

 _ **O**_ bsidian eyes met those of icy obsidian as Severus Snape came face to face with his soulless double. The newly empowered Headmaster of Hogwarts stood in the center of the stone in-cased room, his ebony robes billowing in the wake of his forceful magic. Unlike the true Potions Master, the impostor had been vastly different in his intent despite being physical the beaten wizard's twin in appearance. The ailing Potions Professor summoned his magic in a bid to battle against this strange creature.

 _"Bana ans..."_ hissed the real Severus Snape in parseltongue.

The double appeared to be taken aback by the use of such strange behavior from his counter part.

"So...you speak the language of the serpent." he said narrowing his obsidian eyes at the beaten wizard before him. "I obviously do not share this strange secret art but I soon will know all there is to know about being you."

"Not bloody likely old man." replied Snape narrowing his own obsidian eyes at The Impostor.

"If you think you can withstand your own attacks perhaps you may be worth the blood pumping through your veins." said The Impostor Snape as he readied himself for an attack. "But I highly doubt you'd survive in your weakened state."

"Only one of us was The Head of Slytherin House, old man." replied Snape seeing right through The Impostor.

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 _Azkaban, Unknown World..._

The horde of dementors continued to come at Hermione and Harry despite their projected patronus charms. The silver lion and the stag did their best to hold off the horde but this place had been nothing like back in the wizarding world. The dementors were growing stronger due to Snape's internal misery. Lucius Malfoy had figured as much as the horde continued to grow in number.

"It's not working." said Harry stating the obvious.

"Isn't it Harry?" replied Hermione annoyed. "I hadn't noticed."

"Bickering despite it been positively entertaining, does little to help in this situation." said the handsome blond wizard.

"It's Severus' mind." said Hermione. "I'll bet we need a shared pleasant memory with him in a bid to put an end to these dementors."

"A shared memory?" asked Harry thinking that her plan was far fetched. "What could Snape possibly have stored any good memories..."

The green eyed wizard trailed off suddenly recalling the shared memory that he and Snape had that could be used.

 _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ he shouted as thoughts of Lily Evans racing through the open field with the wind in her strawberry hair and the excitement in her emerald green eyes.

 _The young red head witch giggled and enjoyed the pleasant warmth of the sun and the company of her dearest friend._

Hermione had plenty of positive memories that she shared with Snape, more so when she had been trapped with him at Dumbledore's manor. Lucius possibly suspected what she would be drawing from and smiled.

"It looks like you've thought of several...pleasant memories...little sister." said the handsome wizard with a wicked smirk.

 _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ shouted the amber eyed witch not at all hiding the flush on her cheeks as she raised her wand once more.

 _Snape's lank raven hair in contrast to a plush white pillow beneath the equally crisp white sheets of the appointed bed Dumbledore had placed him in during his illness. The slow rise and fall of his pale scarred chest as she ran her nimble fingers across his warm skin. The low almost subtle purr he let off at the moment of her touch._

 _He had been adorable when slept less twitching and night terrors when they finished their rather spirited act on his part. He seemed to be at peace for the first time in a long time._

 _"Severus." said Hermione in a near whisper._

Lucius had been surprised by the amount of power the collective memories supplied to each patronus, but it still had not been enough to give pause to the horde of dementors.

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 _Azkaban, Unknown World..._

The Potions Master had been struck with a burst of magic as his impostor double attempted to launch into an attack. He swiftly deflected it but found himself being bombarded by more and more by magical spells. The Impostor launched a series of very familiar spells from the Potions Master's own arsenal.

 _"SECTUMSEMPRA!"_ shouted The Impostor.

Snape had known the spell was coming, he had intended to deflect it but found that for some reason it had not been possible. The Impostor smirked wickedly and capitalized on the lack of defense from the ailing Potions Master.

 _"Levicorpus!"_ shouted Impostor Snape.

Severus Snape found himself being elevated by his ankle as blood not only rushed to his head but dripped from his various wounds left over from the torment he suffered at the hands of his inner demons.

"It seems to me that you are the one that's on the losing end of this battle boy." said Impostor Snape with a wicked smirk. "Care to reconsider your options?...I promise to make this transition as painless as possible."

"Fuck you, old man." replied Snape bitterly. " _Liberacorpus!"_

The ailing dark wizard landed roughly onto the cold stone floor below and struggled due to the many injuries he had sustained previously to get to his feet.

 _"Langlock!"_ he shouted before the Impostor could manage another series of verbal spells.

The wretched double looked surprised when his tongue had been seemingly sown to the roof of his mouth. The Potions Master let out a deep growl in the pit of his throat as his battered body began to shift and morph before the very stunned obsidian eyes of The Impostor.

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 _Azkaban, Unknown World..._

Lucius Malfoy had a bit of trouble fending off the rabid horde of denemtors as they began to swarm both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Their collective patronus charms did very little as whatever darkness that had control of Snape had been turning the tide of the short battle. The three magically inclined would be rescuers found themselves in need of rescuing given Snape's tormented mind's defenses.

"Well, any more bloody good ideas?" muttered the handsome blond wizard unsure if they could even make it to Severus at this rate.

Hermione continued to supply her patronus with pleasant memories of her and Severus as her keen mind had been put to the task of finding a solution.

"Just one." she said. _"Hic omnes qui ingrediuntur omissa spe."_

Lucius looked at the amber eyed witch in complete shock.

"Abandon all hope all ye who enter here?" he said immediately recognizing her words. "What is that suppose...?"

He had hardly any time to finish his sentence before a deep roar echoed through the darkened corridors.

"What in _Merlin's_ name?" he asked as a rather large lion creature with glowing eyes charged into the corridors swiping away at the dementors as if there were mere tissue paper.

Hermione smirked knowing all too well the beast responded to her because she had bested it in it's riddle game.

"Harry." she said turning to the stunned green eyed wizard. "I need you to speak in Parseltongue again."

"W-What?" he asked nervously as the rather large lion, the partonus charms and Lucius all did battle with the attacking dementors.

"Speak Parseltongue." replied Hermione warding of another dementor aimed to use it's chilling attack on her. "Now!"

 _"Bana ans...hesleuf...snart ans..."_ hissed Harry Potter concentrating as much as he could given the situation. _"Nagini...hesleuf...hesleuf snart ans!"_

The ground trembled below their feet as Harry's words continued to hand in the thick air around them. The green eyed wizard could hear a dull hiss in the distance and then the slithering sound of a serpent's movement.

Hermione continued to battle the dementors along with a seemingly powerless Lucius Malfoy.

It had not been long before the giant serpent Nagini made it's entrance crushing a few of the numerous dementors in it's wake. The creatures seemed to take both beasts as a real threat and began turning some of their attention on them both while still trying to deliver the dementor's kiss to both Harry and Hermione.

Lucius managed to stave off one of the horrid creatures from carrying him away by his shirt collar.

"Bloody soul suckers." he muttered as he cast spell after spell to discourage their advancement.

"Nothing seems to be working." said Hermione as she battled one of the wretched creature whom had gotten too close.

"I'll say." replied Harry in agreement. "Snape's mind is filled with too much darkness."

The handsome blond wizard had enough of the back n forth with the floating "soul suckers". He readied his wand determined to put an end to this horde once and for all.

"Little Dragon." he said as the images came from deep within his mind causing the ground to tremble once more despite Nagini doing battled with half the horde of dementors.

 _He had been small with gray eyes and short blond hair. His pale flesh adorable and new. He had been so small as his proud godfather held him in his ebony clad arms._

 _"Draco Lucius Malfoy." said a teenage Severus Snape looking down at his new godson. "Welcome to the world."_

 _Draco cooed in Snape's arms and seemed truly at peace._

 _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ shouted the Senior Malfoy.

Hermione Granger and Harry Potter had been stunned as Lucius Malfoy raised his wand as a faint silver glow escaped from the tip and a rather large and extremely powerful patronus came forth. Neither of them had known that the senior Malfoy could even produce a patronus let alone one as powerful as this one in Snape's twisted mind.

A silver dragon began to stretch across the lengthy darkened corridors seeming to swallow the offending dementors whole.

"He's bloody doing it." said the green eyed wizard amazed.

"He's sharing a powerful memory with Severus." explained Hermione despite the wondrous events before her.

The Malfoy dragon cut through the dementors leaving pure light in it's wake as the number dwindled until none were left but the giant lion and the equally enormous serpent Nagini.

Both creatures took their leave as the horde cleared leaving Lucius, Hermione and Harry Potter alone in the vastly lit corridor.

"Let's find Severus." said Lucius seemingly winded after their minor battle.

Both Gryffindors seemed to agree wholeheartedly as they continued toward the place where the cells were kept, hoping to find the ailing dark wizard at last.


	67. Chapter 66:Given To Madness

**Chapter 66:** _ **Given To Madness**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"All around me are familiar faces...Worn out places...Worn out faces...Bright and early for their daily races...Going nowhere...Going nowhere...And their tears are filling up their glasses...No expression...No expression...Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow...No tomorrow...No tomorrow...And I find it kind of funny...I find it kind of sad...The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had...I find it hard to tell you...'Cause I find it hard to take...When people run in circles it's a very very...Mad world...Mad world...Mad world...Mad world..."} Mad World, Tears For Fears/Adam Lambert**_

 _The Holding Cells,Azkaban,Unknown World..._

 _ **F**_ ear and anguish had been warring as Hermione Granger reached what had apparently been Severus Snape's holding cell. The stench of rotted flesh, and old blood had been powerful as she navigated the shadow filled corridors by memory. This had been the place she found her lover so many months ago when the truth about his being a spy for Albus Dumbledore had been properly revealed when The Headmaster returned after five long years of being thought killed by the ailing Potions Master. The chill of death had been all around despite the absence of the dementors as the amber eyed witch found herself at Snape's holding cell.

She drew her wand unable to take the suspense a moment longer.

Lucius Malfoy had been at her side and had drawn his wand as well as he fought to suppress the fear of losing his little brother in this wretched dark place that had been his own mind. The traumas of his life had clearly done a number on the brooding younger wizard and it was a wonder that he had managed to survive this long.

Harry Potter had been silent for once as his emerald green eyes fixed on a figure lying in the center of the cold stone floor. His mind had made a note that the figure's obvious feminine feature indicated that Snape had not been the one lying in a pool of blood in the center of the cell. Hermione broke the lock and entered, her amber eyes searching for any sign of her lover that would indicate his current condition.

"M-Mother." said Harry finally breaking his silence as he raced toward what appeared to be a downed witch.

Hermione tensed at the mention of Lily Potter. She could only imagine what Snape's twisted mind offered as an image of the woman her former best friend had longed so badly to know. Of all those that had been around him as he grew, only Snape had been well acquainted with the orphaned boy's mother.

"Mother!" said Harry unable to stop himself as he dropped to his knees cradling the fallen witch.

Her emerald green eyes met his amid the blood and death.

"H-Harry..." she said softly.

"Mother." said the distraught younger wizard.

Lucius Malfoy drew his wand knowing all too well the trickery Snape's warped mind provided.

"Mother who did this to you?" asked Harry unable to understand what was happening before him.

"S-Snape." she offered up weakly.

Hermione narrowed her amber eyes at the witch. She too had not trusted the illusions Snape's warped mind provided.

"That's not your mother Harry." she said easily observant.

"W-What are you talking about...Snape's memories of my mother are..." he began.

"Not real...at least not while his mind is shrouded in darkness." said Lucius narrowing his own gray eyes at the young wizard. "Look around you boy...what in this place seems real to you besides the three of us?"

"She's my mother." said the green eyed wizard unsure of how to respond. "Snape...h-he loved her."

Hermione's eyes widened when she heard this turning her attention to the fallen Lily Potter.

"What?" she asked.

"That's why he did everything that he had done." explained Harry with the knowledge of Snape's memories given to him by Dumbledore himself. "Snape was in love with my mother."

The shock of this hit Hermione in a way she had not been expecting.

"Do not let that change your feelings for him." said Lucius narrowing his eyes at Harry for his meddlesome tongue. "Lily left Severus behind a long time ago, this is simply a manifestation of my poor little brother's torment."

The amber eyed witch nodded although, she had been still clearly shaken by the sudden revelation.

"This changes nothing." hissed Lucius at Harry. "We need to find Severus, NOW!"

"I can't just leave her like this." said the green eyed wizard, his face twisted in agony.

"You damn well better." replied the handsome blond wizard. "This place is filled with images of pain and suffering on the part of a very ill wizard might I add...we did not come here for secrets to sate your bloody curiosity!"

Hermione sighed.

"Harry let's go...this bickering is getting us nowhere and Severus needs our help." she said.

"I won't leave her." said Harry determined.

"Then you are the fool Potter." hissed Lucius once more.

He continued forward following a trail of blood with Hermione Granger close behind him.

Harry looked down at the image of his mother, Lily Evans Potter seemingly in the flesh after all these years. Her tortured form disintegrated before his very shocked eyes leaving nothing more than dust in it's wake.

The shaken wizard quickly shot to his feet and stumbled out of Snape's appointed cell after Hermione and Lucius Malfoy.

They had been right all along. This place was filled with nothing but suffering. He could only imagine what it was doing to Snape.

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 _Azkaban, Unknown World..._

The black lion let out another devastating roar as it licked it's powerful jaws savoring the blood of it's fallen enemy as The Impostor Snape lied on the cold stone floor without movement and his throat severed. Perhaps, it was a more symbolic scene given whatever it had been was a manifestation of all the ailing Potions Professor's wayward self hatred. He closed his eyes taking in the distinctive scent of jasmine as three magically inclined figures walked into the empty barracks, no doubt following the tell tale signs of blood.

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 _The Barracks,Azkaban,Unknown World..._

Hermione Granger had been the first to notice the downed bodies of Severus Snape and the black lion in the center of the strange room. There had been blood everywhere and gashes a plenty on each other them. Instinctively the amber eyed witch made her way over toward the black lion, recalling from her time at Dumbledore's manor that Severus could become an animagus especially when at his most stressed state. Harry had immediately taken in the sight of the ebony clad Professor and attempted to move toward him when he was pulled back by an ever cautious Lucius Malfoy.

"Not so quick, Potter." he said with his gray eyes observing the scene.

Harry had been about to say something when the black lion let out a low growl.

"It's okay Severus." she said softly as tears began to swell in the corners of her amber eyes. "I'm here now...I won't let anyone hurt you again."

Hermione stroked his bruised chest and the creature seemed to melt away leaving behind a very battered Potions Master. The green eyed wizard had been at a loss for words as he stared back between the ebony clad wizard and the one half naked save for a pair of worn trousers since his imprisonment. Both were identical aside from most of their wounds and clothing.

"You shouldn't make promises you cannot keep little _Mudblood_ girl." said a familiar voice in the darkness.

"As I suspected." said Lucius drawing his wand as his gray eyes shifted toward the ebony clad wizard.

Harry and Hermione were stunned to see the other Snape get to his feet as a wicked grin spread across his sallow pale face. Blood still poured from his slashed throat despite his continued survival and achievement of speech.

"Who are you?" asked the green eyed wizard now gripping his own wand.

"Stop asking stupid questions Potter." hissed the half naked Snape slowly sitting up with Hermione's aid.

"Obviously, Mathias wasn't as destroyed as we all believed him to be." said the amber eyed witch glaring murderously at the ebony clad wizard.

"Clever girl." replied the Impostor Snape still smirking. "You appear to have adequate taste grandson...even if she is a mere _Mudblood_."

"Fuck you." hissed Snape as he doubled over once more feeling pain run rampant through his already battered body.

"Take it easy Severus." said Lucius with concern once he noted how injured his younger brother had been. "Don't let this fool have claim over you any longer."

Harry narrowed his eyes at the ebony clad Snape.

"Why have you done this?" he asked still gripping his wand.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Impostor Snape. "My grandson has squandered the very gifts my bloodline has given him...so I will use them in all their glory."

"There is no fucking way you get my body old man." said Snape catching his balance as Hermione helped him to his feet. "You'd think you would have learned that from your first failed attempts."

"I will admit that I was a tad out of my element." he replied still with that smirk. "But these three have given me all the tools I need to disarm you once and for all, insolent brat!"

Impostor Snape waved his wand summoning someone or something before he disappeared.

The real Severus Snape collapsed onto the ground taking Hermione with him. With the witch caught by surprise both Harry Potter and Lucius moved to keep them covered should Mathias attack once more.

"SEVERUS!" shouted Hermione shocked by what she saw when she looked down at her battered lover.

Lucius Malfoy's eyes had widened as well.

Harry Potter had been the only one not to look at the downed Potions Master, given his attention happened to be on a nearly seven foot tall man with dark brown hair and brutish features.

"I-I don't think this fight is going to be as effortless as we hoped." he said before finding himself with a brutish muggle man's hand wrapped around his throat before he could cast a spell. "Seriously...need a bit of help here...!"

Needless to say, the wizarding world's greatest hero had been out-matched by one of Severus Snape's greatest terrors, The Potions Master's own father, Tobias Snape.


	68. Chapter 67:Correcting a Misconception

**Chapter 67: _Correcting a Misconception_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Barracks,Azkaban,Unknown World..._

 _ **E**_ xhaustion coupled with the pain of his many injuries had pushed Severus Snape passed his breaking point. He found that things had not been as they once were looking down at his formerly calloused hands stained with blood and trembling. They were not the hands of a man but the hands of a mere boy, a six year old boy to be exact. A particularly nasty bout of fear coursed through his small body as the voice of the drunken muggle brute pierced the darkness. His posture stiffened and he could feel the tell tale signs of tears beginning to swell in the corners of his eyes. Before they could truly fall down his tiny cheeks, a warm comforting hand swept across his small sallow pale cheek. He blinked as the vision of a girl with unruly brown hair and equally warm amber eyes looked back at him.

"Severus." she said softly. "I'm here...Lucius is here...we will not let that terrible man harm you ever again."

Snape opened his mouth to speak but found that his voice was wracked with a mix of fear and admiration.

"See." said the girl with amber eyes. "Lucius is going to make him go away...you want that don't you?"

The small boy with raven hair nodded.

"P-Please." he said in a child like tone. "M-Make him stop..."

Lucius Malfoy had not been the least bit impressed as he gazed upon the arrogant muggle man that had done so much damage to his little brother. The stupid brute that beat a child for years in a bid to make himself feel superior. The rage began to build in the depths of the handsome blond wizard's being.

"Tobias...really?" he said bitterly. "And you've gone and turned Severus back into a child...you seem to love your petty games a bit too much Mathias."

"And what a grand game it is." said the voice in the darkness. "Only this time we play without magic...with Toby being a muggle and all."

"Oh but of course." replied Lucius.

He waved his wand pulling Harry Potter out of the brutish muggle's grasp.

"You'll have to sit this one out Potter, unfinished business and all that." he said before handing his wand to six year old Severus whom had taken it cautiously.

Obsidian eyes met those of steel gray as if for the first time.

"Take care of them for a while little brother." he said casually. "I've got to go teacher your so arrogant muggle daddy some manners."

"O-Okay." said child Severus not sure why but he believed him.

Lucius tussled the child's unkempt raven hair like he had done so many times before when The Potions Master was just a lad and even more so when he had become a grown man, if only to annoy him.

"I shouldn't be long." he said with a smirk before making a showing of rolling up his sleeves and unbuttoning his collar.

"What makes you so sure you'd survive this?" asked Tobias smugly.

Lucius appeared not to have a care in the world at the moment.

"This is not about survival, it is about laying a linger matter to rest." he replied.

He stepped toward the drunken muggle and narrowed his notorious gray eyes.

"Let the record show that I, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy stand as champion for that of Severus Sebastian Snape." he said aloud to whom Harry Potter assumed was no one in particular. "I am his past and this matter of guilt over his deceased father shall be laid to rest...this day you shall have no more power over him."

Tobias Snape seemingly uncaring about the handsome wizard's speech one way or another charged after him and brought a very crushing fist into his elegant pale face.

Lucius simply smirked as a trickle of blood went down his upturned lip.

"Is that the best you can do child-beater?" he asked curious as he arched an eyebrow.

Tobias swung again connecting with another seemingly crushing blow.

Lucius appeared to be bored with the weak muggle's attempts to do him harm. He spit out the blood that filled up in his often witty mouth as if it were mere saliva.

"You looked better when you were scaring a child." he muttered.

The child Severus Snape's obsidian eyes had been filled with astonishment.

"He's...not strong at all." he said stunned. "He's not even scary anymore."

"That's right." said Lucius with a grin this time. "This puny pathetic muggle would much rather beat on a child and drown his false sorrows in a bottle than actually get his head out of his own arse and support his wife and son."

Hermione couldn't help but smile as Lucius Malfoy seemed to have been waiting a very long time to clear up this imperfect misconception in his little brother's past.

"Toby Snape here will be lucky if you'd allow him to polish your boots." taunted Lucius.

Furious that his presence no longer inspired the once powerful fear, Tobias Snape attempted to go all in rushing and punching at the much more agile Lucius Malfoy whom had made short work of him with a few well placed shots to his face and head.

The child Severus laughed as the drunken brute collapsed onto the ground unable to keep up with the handsome blond wizard.

"Let that be a lesson to you, children are easy to beat up on but there will always be a champion for them when you least expect it." said Lucius glaring rather murderously at the downed muggle brute. "Severus use my wand...finish him off."

The child Severus got to his feet despite Hermione's concern over his still very present injuries. He made his way over toward his downed father, the man that had brought him so much terror and pain since his birth. There was never an ounce of love in the monster's eyes nor a hint of pride before hand but here in this moment as he looked upon the battered drunken fool as ghost of a smile graced his pain grimaced face.

"Raise the wand, Severus." instructed Lucius Malfoy whom stood behind him with a comforting hand on the still trembling boy's shoulder.

The six year old child did as he was told seeming to instinctively trust the handsome blond wizard with piercing gray eyes.

"Now repeat after me then wave the wand." instructed Lucius further. _"Obliviate."_

The boy Snape did as he was instructed.

 _"Obliviate."_ he had said.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger watched as the child Severus Snape made his drunken brute of a father disappear for ever from his already tormented mind.

"Very good Severus." said Lucius in a calm and father-like tone. " _Accio_ wand."

The wand flew from the child Snape's hand and into the clutches of it's rightful owner. Lucius Malfoy had defeated Tobias and allowed Snape to close a particularly painful chapter of his past.

"He will not bother you again." vowed the handsome blond wizard. "You are safe now."

Hermione and Harry made their way over toward the two Slytherin wizard's when they noticed that Snape had suddenly aged to that of a seemingly sixteen year old boy.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that..." said a voice from the darkness. "Snivellus."

Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Lucius Malfoy readied their respective wands.

Teenage Severus Snape simply narrowed his obsidian eyes at the darkness before him. He had known all too well whom that voice belonged to. He pulled his own wand from his sleeve and gripped it tightly.

"Potter." he muttered feeling fury build in him.

Harry James Potter's emerald green eyes widened as his own father had indeed stepped from the shadows of the barracks, an unsurprisingly wicked grin plastered across his spectacle covered face.


	69. Chapter 68:The Sins Of The Father

**Chapter 68:** _ **The Sins Of The Father**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...I apologize for the errors during the upload.}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Barracks,Azkaban,Unknown World..._

 _ **H**_ arry James Potter had not moved a muscle as he found himself staring into the cold brown eyes of his equally spectacle wearing father, James Potter. The younger Potter had only a glimpse of this arrogant, cocky, fool of a man that had caused so much pain to a seemingly helpless boy for the sake of entertainment. His rage seemed to grow as the bastard strutted into view with an equally arrogant smirk filed across his face. For the first time since he had known Snape, Harry Potter knew then why the man would have hated him. Ever word the man ever said about this sorry sight before him had been the utter truth, despite Sirius Black trying to place it as youthful ignorance and the bitter ramblings of a man stuck in the past. Shame filled the younger Potter as he once believed his godfather's version of things. Even as he saw no move made on the part of the man to right any of the past wrongs done to Professor Snape, not even as they worked to fight against Voldemort and keep him alive.

"Well...well...well...Snivellus." said James in that cocky tone of his. "What have I told you about talking to Gryffindor girls?.. _Expelliarmus_ _!"_

Teen Snape attempted to grip his wand only to find James quickly disarmed him.

Lucius had been about to advance when Harry stopped him.

"As you said before Lucius, I believe you should sit this one out." he said not taking his eyes off James Potter. "Unfinished business and all that."

The Slytherin narrowed his gray eyes at the insolent brat only to notice that Hermione seemed to agree with him for the first time.

"I believe he has the right idea this time around." she said. "It means something to Severus to have him here...I suppose that's why Dumbledore sent him...he must have known or at the very least had an idea."

"While I do not disagree that matters must be handled...this is Potter we are talking about." he muttered. "He'll find some way to screw it up."

"Let's give him a chance to fix things." replied Hermione not even sure she believed it herself. "Just this once...and if he manages to ruin it...I'll let you kill him personally."

Lucius smirked rather wickedly at that idea.

"Well...now there's a silver lining." he replied. "Alright, off with you...Potter...if you must."

Harry had not been much motivated by his companions' vote of confidence and given all he had done lately one could hardly blame them. He had inadvertently caused this entire mess, from persecuting Snape and getting him sent to Azkaban to unleashing Mathias on the wizarding world, not to mention on Snape as well.

"I will handle this one Snape." said the green eyed wizard looking over the distrusting ebony clad teen. "This confrontation was a long time coming."

James Potter arched an eyebrow at this curious wizard with his features.

"Who are you?" he asked turning his aggressive attention from the teenage Snape to his own yet to be known son.

"Let it be understood that I, Harry James Potter...son of James and Lily Potter am champion for Severus Sebastian Snape." said Harry narrowing his eyes at the cocky James. "I am his present, and I am his redemption...let the troubles of this era and those misdeeds brought on by my family and myself trouble him no more."

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"I suppose Potter has learned something after all." he muttered bitterly.

"Perhaps." replied Hermione watching as teenage Severus Snape looked back n forth between Harry Potter and James Potter.

It seemed as thought he could not believe the child of the arrogant prat before him was there to challenge him personally.

"No son of my would dare defend Snivellus." growled James Potter gripping his wand.

"And no father of my would be an arrogant loud mouth bully." countered Harry feeling his fury once again.

"So be it then." said James before he started casting hexes Harry's way.

The younger Potter managed to deflect his father's flashy spells. They had been ineffective combat wise and more or less to dazzle a crowd.

 _"Levicorpus!"_ shouted James with another arrogant smirk filed across his face.

 _"Libracorpus!"_ countered Harry with a smirk of his own.

James didn't seem to like he escaped so easily. He had come to enjoy it when his targets were dangled helplessly by their ankle while he had his pick of how to humiliate them further.

"Those are my spells!" hissed James enraged.

"These spells are the property of The Half-Blood Prince." said Harry narrowing his green eyes at his arrogant father. "You do not own them...and you didn't own my mother!"

The elder Potter turned his attention to teenage Snape as if Harry were once more insignificant.

"You've really done a number on him haven't you Snivellus?" he taunted. "Perhaps he'll become the best cheerleader of your little fan club."

"Fuck you." replied Snape having finally retrieved his wand while the younger Potter kept the elder one busy.

"Two against one." said James not at all losing the smirk. "That's hardly fair...perhaps we can make this bout a bit interesting shall we Snivellus greasy and cheerleader boy?"

Harry had known all too well what his arrogant father had in mind.

"Nice one James." said the all too familiar voice of Sirius Black as he too stepped from the shadows, wand at the ready.

The charming fool joined his best mate.

"Together again, eh Sirius?" asked Harry almost bitterly. "You know it really shouldn't surprise me...you never did grow up."

"Says the boy whom had Snape arrested and tortured." said the charming wizard. "I couldn't have done better myself if I had tried that is."

"Fuck you." said Harry agreeing more along the lines of teen Snape's thinking.

"Aw Harry, I couldn't have asked for a better godson." said Sirius almost fondly. "Unfortunately, you've chosen to back the wrong horse so to speak."

"I don't back jackasses." replied the green eyed wizard drawing his wand once more.

"Oh well...shall we commence?" asked Sirius before casting a hex his godson's way.

The spell was deflected by Teen Snape.

"We have some unfinished business to attend to Black." said the raven haired teen. "And Potter...I leave your pathetic excuse for a father to you."

"Right." replied Harry.

Lucius arched an eyebrow in curiosity.

"It appears that Severus is starting to recall who he truly is." he said with a smirk of his own.

"Looks that way." replied Hermione readying her wand just in case. "Be ready."

"Always." replied the handsome blond wizard.

A series of spells flew through the darkened space of the barracks. Sirius Black in his adult form prior to his death taking on Teenage Severus Snape as the Potters elder and younger battled.

It wasn't long before Harry Potter got the better of his outclassed father and sent the arrogant slime to the ground. James Potter's furious brown eyes glared up at the emerald green ones of his only son.

 _"Sectemsempra!"_ shouted Harry Potter knowing full well what he was doing to his own father.

James creamed in pain, causing a concerned Sirius Black to make a momentary lapse in judgement. This lapse proved quite costly for him as Teen Snape had been ready to pounce on any type of weakness.

 _"Obliviate!"_ shouted the raven haired teen, apparently recalling the lesson taught to him by Lucius Malfoy when he had still been a six year old boy.

In a flash of light and shadow, Sirius Black was gone. Harry Potter had been fine with the outcome as he had known what truly happened to his godfather and it had nothing to do with Snape.

"Snape!" shouted the green eyed wizard. "Finish it!"

The teen Snape made his way over toward James Potter as the arrogant prat screamed from the pain of the spell placed upon him.

"Y-You'll never have her Snape." hissed James in a bid to gloat. "Lily will never be yours."

Teen Snape looked over at Hermione Granger as a smirk filed across his youthful sallow pale face.

"I don't want her...not sure I ever did really." he replied. "She was a needy, shallow, bitch, up her own arse about money and fame...you two idiots belong together."

James had not known what to say to that finding himself surprisingly stunned that Harry didn't move to defend his mother's honor.

"What the hell kind of son are you?" asked the bitter arrogant wizard glaring rather murderously at the younger Potter.

"The kind that chooses his own path and atones for his mistakes." replied Teen Snape before Harry could speak a word himself. "Neither of you deserved him either... _Obliviate!"_

Harry watched as the last of his father's pain twisted image disintegrated into light and shadows. Snape placed a hand on the weary boy's shoulder. It had no longer been the hand of a teenager but that of a man. A man with rough calloused hands and weariness behind his obsidian eyes.

"Well done, Potter." he said.

The green eyed wizard nodded.

Hermione raced over to the seemingly restored Severus Snape and he wrapped his arms around her slender waist. Lucius got a bit of a good chuckle out of Harry turning his head in a bid to miss the snogging session between his former Potions Professor and his former best friend.

"Must you both do this now?" he asked feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Shut it Potter!" said Snape and Hermione in unison before smiling and continuing their unnerving snogging.

Lucius delighted in the green eyed wizard's discomfort.

Sadly, there was only a little time to celebrate as the next figured loomed in the shadows. Moving on instinct both Snape and Lucius drew their wands blocking both Hermione and Harry from the on coming hexes that meant to disable them silently.

"Severus?" said Hermione gripping her own wand as Snape focused his attention to the looming figure in the darkness. "What is it?"

The Potions Professor tightened his grip on his wand causing Lucius Malfoy to do the same.

"Albus." he replied not taking his eyes off the figure who's icy blue eyes seemed to glow in darkness.


	70. Chapter 69:The Last Fetter That Shall B

**Chapter 69:** _ **The Last Fetter That Shall Be Unshackled**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Barracks,Azkaban,Unknown World..._

 _ **A**_ lbus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore had been as imposing here in this nightmarish world that once could call Severus Snape's tormented mind as he had been back in the wizarding world. Harry Potter could never have imagined having to go up against the blue eyed Headmaster in a million years. His hand trembled as he gripped his wand unsure how to proceed. Severus Snape made sure to keep Hermione away from the sneaky Gryffindor Headmaster's magic. The last thing he needed was for the old fool to hurt her. Lucius Malfoy did not seem all that impressed that Dumbledore of all people had emerged from the shadows. It had been a given that the old bastard had been Severus' oppressor since the boy first arrived at Hogwarts. During his adult life, Dumbledore had been nothing more than the young wizard's jailer wielding his guilt over what happened to the Potters like a jagged blade cutting into the younger Slytherin's all too exposed heart at will.

"Bloody hell." said Harry sounding very much like Ron Weasley in light of the situation before him. "Not Dumbledore..."

"Why am I not surprised." said Lucius Malfoy bitterly as he narrowed his own gray eyes at the elder Headmaster of Hogwarts.

"I can't say that I am any more surprised than you Lucius." said Hermione as Snape continued to keep her behind him and well out of the line of fire.

"Am impressed Severus." said Dumbledore as his unnerving blue eyes twinkled. "You have done far better than even I would have anticipated."

"I'm not in the mood for your games old man." said Snape bitterly.

"Oh?" asked Dumbledore with a pleasant smile. "No time for your jailer?"

Snape had been about to say something more but found himself immediately bound by iron fetters.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Lucius ready at a moment's notice to put the old fossil in his place.

"Did you really believe it would be that easy for the three of you to just acquire Severus and be done with it?" asked Dumbledore truly fascinated by their gall.

"Let him go!" demanded Hermione moving in front of her lover with her wand drawn.

"Surely Miss Granger, you are aware of how this game goes by now." said the elder wizard with his blue eyes still twinkling.

"I am well aware of your twisted little game." replied the amber eyed witch.

Her fury was blazing behind her borderline murderous gaze as she refused to back down from the elder wizard.

"Let's just ensure there are no unwanted interruptions shall we?" he said still with that pleasant smile.

Before Hermione knew it, Lucius Malfoy had been cast into a nearby wall by a wave of cold magic and knocked unconscious. Harry tried to defend Hermione and Snape but found himself pushed to the floor by a magical shadow and stuck into the ground. After repeated failed attempts, he could do little but watch as his former best friend stood alone against the elder Headmaster's might.

Even in this place Dumbledore had been a force to be reckoned with, so much so that Hermione Granger had been severely out matched as far as magical skill had been concerned. She had barely managed to survive Bellatrix LeStrange's onslaught at Malfoy Manor and only due to the assistance of the Malfoy clan themselves.

"Hermione." said Snape seemingly desperate in his attempts to break free of the iron fetters.

"Stay out of this, Severus." said the amber eyed witch not at all take her gaze off The Headmaster.

"Hermione, do not do this." he said trying to get through to the witch. "Not alone."

"I do not need help with this one Severus." said Hermione a good deal more confident than Dumbledore would have expected of her given the situation.

"Hermione." said The Potions Professor struggling to get free once more.

Dumbledore smiled at his attempts.

"It seems our dear Severus doesn't care too much for your facing me alone." he said.

"He's not your anything." replied Hermione bitterly.

"At the moment he seems to be my prisoner." replied the elder wizard with a light hearted chuckle.

"He won't be yours much longer." replied the angry witch. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, I Hermione Jean Granger, hereby challenge you in magical combat...I am Severus Sebastian Snape's champion and I am his future...this challenge is for his remaining freedom from your imprisonment and that of the entire wizarding world...you will no longer have any hold over him."

"A brave choice of words if I do say so myself Miss Granger." said Dumbledore duly impressed. "And none more well spoken then by a fellow Gryffindor."

Getting the battle underway, Hermione got into her fighting stance.

Dumbledore did the same drawing his wand and launching spell after spell at the young witch.

Hermione deflected the first of them with ease then sent a few back to the elder wizard whom had done the same.

Lucius Malfoy had still been unconscious as a result of Dumbledore's attack.

Harry Potter continued to struggle against whatever shadow fiend that had him stuck to the floor. He seemed to have been just as anxious as Snape to get free to help Hermione. There had been so much about the way their friendship ended that the green eyed wizard regretted and if she were killed here in this place it would never be resolved not to mention Snape's hatred of him would resurface.

Dumbledore sent out a few more potent spells and Hermione managed to escape certain death and fire back a few more of her own. The Elder wizard had not been finished and continued to bombard the younger witch with a flurry of magical curses. For her part, she had managed to evade off half of them but some left her quite injured.

The Potions Professor could see that her left arm had been broken and her ribs were bruised when The Headmaster flung her into a nearby wall.

"Hermione!" shouted Snape still struggling to break free as Dumbledore began to launch more spells that she couldn't possibly deflect.

The iron fetters began to give way as the amber eyed witch found herself screaming out in pain while Dumbledore hurled her beaten body into the air and slammed her back into the wall without mercy.

"Do you concede?" asked The Elder wizard finally slamming the witch down onto the ground.

Bloodied but not broken, Hermione Granger refused to adhere to her tormentor's demand.

"No!" she shouted to the best of her ability and continued to grip her wand for dear life.

"You are out matched and yet you continue to fight." he said seemingly amused. "How very Gryffindor."

The Headmaster slammed her once more into the wall in a bid to knock her unconscious. Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily knowing everything that she and Severus had to face before this moment, all the torment he suffered because of selfish, arrogant wizard's like Voldemort and Dumbledore. She had, had enough of it.

A bit premature in his victory, Dumbledore turned his attention to Snape as he continued to struggle against the iron fetters. The old fool had been none the wiser that he had already gotten them loosened.

"Do you see Severus?" he said in his usual sickening pleasant tone. "Everything is as it should be..."

The old man had been so busy gloating that he had not noticed that Hermione's fingers into the rubble beneath her via the wall, she forced herself onto her feet.

"You are exactly right, Headmaster...everything is as it should be." she said despite the blood and dirt

Dumbledore turned briefly to face her. In that moment, Severus Snape chose then to snap the iron fetters in half freeing himself. The shock of his act caused the elder wizard to divert his attention back to The Potions Professor much faster than his sense could process.

 _"Wingardium leviOsa!"_ said Hermione as quickly as she could manage.

The Headmaster's wand flew out of his hand before he could react and into the bloodied pale grasp of The Potions Professor. He pressed the tip of it into the old man's chest with a cocky smirk filed across his sallow pale face.

"This is were you and I part ways Mathias." he said knowing full well whom had been attacking them all along.

The elder Prince's facade faded and he stood before his grandson in his true form.

"It seems that I have underestimated you yet again, Severus." he said with a hint of pride in his tone. "If I may, what gave me away?"

"Albus would never outright attack another Gryffindor, nor any student past, present or future." said Snape. "What you did to Hermione was overkill, I could see your blood lust a mile away and so did she."

"Well...I suppose this is goodbye then grandson?" said Mathias still with a hint of pride in his voice.

"No." replied Snape with murder behind his obsidian gaze. "This is go to hell and stay there old man... _Obliviate!"_

The last remnants of Mathias Prince disintegrated into bursts of shadow and light before finally fading from existence. Snape made sure that not a single aspect of the old bastard whom had once been his grandfather would ever remain. With Mathias gone, Harry Potter found himself once more able to get to his feet. Lucius had barely begun to come around and Hermione limped over toward an equally beaten Snape.

"You have to leave." said Snape suddenly weaker than he had been a few moments ago.

"You're hurt." said Hermione attempting to heal him.

"Don't bother with that." he told her. "Get Lucius and Potter out of here."

The world began to shift and change causing what appeared to be an earthquake of some kind.

"I'm not leaving you." said Hermione defiantly.

"Witch of all the times to be a bold and defiant woman this is not one of them." said Snape in a deathly serious tone. "This place will kill you all if you are trapped her...it's my bloody mind I should know what the hell I am talking about."

"Hermione for once just listen to the man." said Harry thinking a timely exit sounded rather good compared to certain death.

"Shut it Harry." hissed Hermione narrowing her amber eyes at her former friend. "Us leaving here does not guarantee Severus will wake up...given all the trauma Mathias unleashed here it's highly possible he could be killed too if he stays here."

"I do not have the time to argue with you witch." said Snape starting to become even more weak as his mind's twisted world began it's collapse.

"Forgive me Hermione." said Harry knowing all too well what he was about to do.

The green eyed wizard quickly flicked his wand in the direction of the irate witch.

 _"Stupefy!"_ he shouted stunning his former friend.

Snape caught the unconscious witch as she fell bringing her close to his bare chest for a few brief moments. The scent of jasmine in her hair and the warmth of her slender young body against him had been more than enough to give him the much needed strength for what he was about to attempt.

"Take them back with you Potter." said Snape entrusting him one last time. "If I don't awaken..."

"None of that Snape." said Harry not wishing to go down this road. "Just get your arse back before she awakens...there's not a lot of running space at the school once she recalls what I did to her."

Snape chuckled at this.

"No doubt you'd deserve it." he replied casually.

"Indeed I do." agreed Harry. "Honestly, you do need to get back before Draco strings me along the battlements."

"I might just return in a bid to witness such a display." said The Potions Professor causally.

He turned his attention back to Hermione Granger and kissed her softly on the lips before handing her over to Harry Potter.

"You be careful with my witch, boy." said The former Professor with a gruff tone.

The green eyed wizard nodded in respect.

Snape stepped away from the three outgoing magically inclined individuals and summoned the last of is accessible magic in this horrid place. It would zap his strength and ultimately cause problems for when he tried to return but he couldn't chance them getting stuck or Dumbledore having them linger a bit too long. Most importantly, he could not chance Hermione being killed in this place. The cheeky young witch had come to mean a great deal to him as of late.

 _"Mentis Peregrinus!"_ shouted Snape recalling the spell from the unconscious witch's very loud mind moments before Potter put her under.

Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy, and Hermione Granger disappeared from the horrid prison of torment just in time to avoid a very powerful magical blast that seemed to alter the very fabric of what had now been Severus Snape's reality.

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 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Collective gasps filled the room as Harry Potter came flying from what appeared to be out of nowhere and onto the floor. Behind him had been Lucius Malfoy projected just the same but levitated by his own son's magic in a bid to keep the already unconscious wizard from hitting his head. Last came Hermione Granger, still very much out cold and landing in Harry Potter's trembling grasp. He had promised Snape that he would look after her after all, despite her potential to murder him out right once she was awakened.

"It appears that they've done all that they can do." said Dumbledore as his blue eyes watched over the seemingly asleep raven haired wizard whom had yet to stir from the bed.

"Come on Uncle Sev." said Draco making his way over toward his still sleeping uncle after making sure Lucius was conscious.

"He's just got to awaken." said Minerva McGonagall not at all letting her green eyes drift from the younger wizard lying in the bed.

Unfortunately, for Snape getting back in the wake of all the damage Mathias Prince had done to his mind was easier said then done.


	71. Chapter 70:Reclamation

**Chapter 70:** ** _Reclamation_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 _ **F**_ eeling a bit dizzy, Hermione Granger attempted to get her bearings as she leaned against the bed that still held the unconscious form of her lover Severus Snape. The last thing that she could recall had been a well placed argument with the stubborn wizard about his life being in danger if she left him behind in that collapsing reality due to all the trauma his idiot grandfather caused him. The next thing she recalled was Harry James Potter shouting a very familiar spell at her and then everything going dark. The amber eyed witch glared at the green eyed wizard as he huddled as best he could behind Dumbledore.

"YOU IDIOT!" she shouted enraged. "HOW COULD YOU!?"

"It's not my fault...I had no choice either I was going to have to deal with you or Snape." said Harry exhausted. "And to be honest, as scary as you can be Hermione, Snape's a thousand times worse."

"Who's the one that's conscious at this very moment?" asked Hermione tightening her grip on her wand.

"Let the boy be witch." said a familiar baritone voice.

The enraged witch had been well on her way to hexing Harry Potter across all of Hogwarts but the voice had gotten her attention. She turned to see Severus had opened his eyes but he winced in pain from the focus of all the bright lights.

"SEVERUS!" she shouted happily forgetting momentarily that she wanted to kill Harry Potter and that Snape had still been sluggish from being unconscious for so long.

"Damn it witch!" he shouted as she accidentally elbowed him in his painfully sore ribs. "Are you trying to finish me off!?"

"Stupid git." said Hermione showering the grouchy Slytherin with kisses much to the shock and amusement of the on lookers.

When she finally did pull back Snape took a moment to catch his breath.

Lucius Malfoy smiled obviously amused by the young witch's affection.

"I...believe it's time for us to retire." said Snape attempting to sit up.

"Not so quick Severus." said Minerva McGonagall. "This business of you bedding Miss Granger..."

"Is none of your concern." said Snape sitting up despite Hermione's concern.

He groaned from the stiffness of his little used muscles and turned his attention to the younger Gryffindor witch.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to go home witch." he said meeting her eyes.

In that moment, Hermione believed Severus aged quite a bit upon awakening. Mentally enduring all the trauma's of his various ages had done quite a number on him and it was definitely showing.

"Yes." she said understanding that he wanted so badly to get out of this place that had been just another physical prison that he had been forced into. "I believe that is the sensible thing to do at this time."

Snape nodded in agreement.

For a brief moment he looked up at Lucius Malfoy.

There had been no need for words as understanding passed between the two older Slytherins with ease.

Draco had been pleased that his Uncle had survived but still wanted very much to punish Harry Potter for causing the already ailing man more pain in the first place.

He briefly narrowed his eyes at the green eyed wizard only for Snape to shake his head at his godson's intent.

The younger Slytherin got the message...Potter was off limits.

He had not known what occurred in the Potions Master's mind but he didn't like that Potter once more gets to skate passed his brand of justice.

Minerva McGonagall had been pleased that Severus Snape had made a decent run at a recovery but she had not liked that he was bedding Hermione Granger. The young witch had been her most cherished student with a good deal of untapped potential. Severus on the other hand was a cranky old war hero with more than his fair share of mental disturbances due to his long history with abuse and neglect. The old witch wanted the former Head of Slytherin to get help so that he could heal properly. She did not wish for his brand of darkness to infect Hermione.

Madam Pomfrey had been just pleased to see Severus open his eyes. There had been quite a few close calls for the dour wizard as of late and he had done more than enough to earn some peace in the years ahead. If Miss Granger was the best thing for him she was all for it.

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled as usual while he watched Hermione Granger go from irate young woman to protective and caring lover once Severus awakened. He had done quite a bit as of late to keep the wizarding world off the younger wizard's back and hoped that he would rejoin the Hogwarts family once all this mess was put behind them.

Hermione assisted Snape as he got to his feet. The fact that he fought valiantly to resist doubling over in pain had been all the convincing she needed that he had not been truly well but wanted very badly to be as far away from this place as possible. The made their way to the floo without another word as she grabbed a handful of powder and called out their destination.

Harry Potter had a great many questions for the Potions Master given what he recalled from the man's shattered mind about his mother. He felt it wise to await another day before pursuing the answers to such questions.

Ronald Weasley sat quietly in a far off corner of the room with his arms folded across his chest. He hated Severus Snape since the very beginning and knowing all too well that the greasy git was bedding Hermione was all too much. Harry made his way over toward his friend giving him a small smile in a bid to offer comfort but it did little to ease the pain.

Hermione and Snape disappeared through the floo and she took care to disconnect it behind them.

"So." said Ron in a seemingly bitter tone. "She's gone again...and with that greasy git."

"Ron..." began the green eyed wizard.

"I know." muttered the red head wizard with his blue eyes narrowed in rage. "But I thought she'd come to her senses once she'd seen that we were sorry about what happened...Snape was just a way to get back at us...maybe...?"

"No Ron." said Harry in an exhausted tone. "She doesn't like you in that way...I'm not even sure she likes any of us at all...but what I am sure about is she definitely has a thing for Snape."

"More like he has a thing for her." piped Draco enjoying the opportunity to twist the proverbial knife in the offending Weasley boy's heart. "One that she seems to fancy a good deal more than whatever passes for acceptable in your little area of expertise Weasley."

"Now Draco...play nicely." added Lucius amused as well. "Not all wizards know what it truly means to be Slytherin."

Minerva McGonagall rolled her eyes as Lucius gray eyes flickered with a slow burning hint of flirtation.

"It never ceases to amaze me that you only become more lewd and arrogant with age." she said annoyed.

"And you love me for it old woman." replied the Senior Malfoy. "Severus isn't the only one that delights in making you feel uncomfortable...he did learn at the feet of the master."

With a wink in McGonagall's direction Lucius also made his way to the floo. Grabbing a handful of floo powder he turned his attention to his young son as the junior Malfoy snarled at Harry Potter murder had still been behind his gray eyes and a wicked smirk on his face.

"Come along Draco." said Lucius content that everything had been right with Severus for the time being.

"Of course Father." replied Draco moving toward the floo.

"Despite the residual animosity, I am pleased to see you both in good health." said The Headmaster in a pleasant tone.

"Sadly old man, I cannot say the same." said Lucius losing a bit of his charm. "I despise you with every fiber of my being...had it not been for your substantial little fan club I would have displaced you years ago for what you've done to my little brother...but as it stands you have your precious position for another day."

Dumbledore nodded his understanding.

"Well...you always were strong in your negative opinion of me Lucius." he said. "But I wish only the best for Severus."

"I know you all too well you mean." replied the Senior Malfoy. "Consider this my final warning...leave Severus and the Granger girl alone...you've done enough to impact their lives...if you do not head this warning I promise you old man I will not rest until I destroy every single little friendship you've ever made in the Ministry of Magical offices and have you banished from the wizarding world for the remainder of your natural life."

The emerald flames shot up from the floo as Malfoy Manor was called out and both blond wizards with shadowy gray eyes stepped through. Neither of them had to look at Hogwarts Castle for very long but they would keep an eye on the old bastard and they would make good on their promise should he ever again step out of his bounds with Severus Snape or any other Slytherin student whom deserved fair treatment. For now they took comfort in knowing that Severus was again safe and being cared for by Hermione Granger.

The lengths that witch had gone through to care for him still amazed Lucius as he disconnected his floo from Hogwarts for the time being. Draco had been all too eager to inform Narcissa that Severus was indeed alright and back with his witch.

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 _Hermione Granger's Flat, London, England, Muggle World..._

Severus had been trembling by the time Hermione got him back home and helped him to the sofa. The Potions Master sighed taking in the much appreciated change in atmosphere. The amber eyed witch had been so tense given all they had just endured and turned her attention to the mildly messy sitting room and began fixing it up to calm her nerves.

"What do you think you are doing witch?" asked Snape with an arched eyebrow.

"This place is a messy and I am trying to clean it." she replied.

Snape smirked.

She truly had been a wonder if ever there had been one.

"Silly girl." he said as he waved his hand instantly cleaning the flat with wandless magic.

"Severus you should be resting!" scolded Hermione at his use of magic given all that he had suffered.

In reply, Snape waved his hand once more and Hermione Granger found herself unable to stop her body from being flung towards him. A mischievous smirk filed across his sallow pale face as she ended up landing right in his lap with her back pressed against his chest. Before she could protest he wrapped one arm around her slender waist and pressed his pale lips into the side of her neck.

She almost couldn't contain the involuntary moan that escaped her at the brief contact.

"Severus." she babbled in an attempt to protest once more but failed rather miserably.

Snape's other hand stuck out from the arm of the sofa as the seemingly occupied witch heard the refrigerator open and close. He had been well on his way to working her up when a bottle of wine flew into his hand. He drank a bit of it and proceeded to kiss the witch again but with more vigor. His little distraction didn't last long as she could smell the scent of wine on him as he continued to kiss her.

"You shouldn't really be..." she began between kisses as his lips began to crush into her soft pink ones.

"A free man does what he wishes." said Snape with a flicker of malice behind his obsidian gaze. "And right now I wish to enjoy my wine and my insufferably decent witch."

Hermione sighed knowing that there was no changing the stubborn git's mind once it was made up.

They continued to share as series of passionate kisses but that was as far as it went for the night, as both had been quite worn from their respective journeys into his trauma shattered mind. Snape finished off his wine and curled up with Hermione on her sofa like an enormous human cat. His head resting in her lap as she lied against the cushions basking in the silence of their flat and respective breathing.

The young witch ran her fingers through his raven hair as he seemed contented to stroke her tight as his head rested against it. The contented silence and the mutual embrace of the lovers only served to strengthen the feeling of comfort between the two magically inclined individuals and they each fell asleep much too overcome from overwhelming emotional strain to stay awake.


	72. Chapter 71:Ignorance Is Bliss For Some,

**Chapter 71:** _ **Ignorance Is Bliss For Some, But Misery For Others**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...sorry for the slight delay, my hand wasn't cooperating and I needed to rest for a bit...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Outside Hermione Granger's Flat, Muggle World..._

 _ **I**_ t had been more than a week since anyone had seen or heard from Hermione Granger or Severus Snape. Harry Potter had been standing outside the steps of her flat for nearly an hour and still there was no reply. He tried buzzing and calling her but nothing seemed to be working. He couldn't very well apparate into the place given the insane amount of wards she placed on it. Going through the floo wasn't an option either, she had disconnected it the day she left Hogwarts with Snape. The Malfoys had not been forth coming about much information regarding Snape's whereabouts either. The most Lucius Malfoy would say is that he had not seen him since that night in Hogwarts. The green eyed wizard dared not ask Draco for fear of the junior Malfoy making good on his promise to do him bodily harm.

As Harry pondered over his potential misfortune if he crossed Draco Malfoy's path, one of Hermione's muggle neighbors had arrived and began to unlock the door. He had been an average sized muggle man with little to no time for much of a life of his own, possibly a well and seemingly informed busy body. The green eyed wizard suddenly got the idea to press the neighbor for information.

"Excuse me...sir..." said Harry fumbling out how to approach the unknown man without scaring off his only possible lead to what has happened to Hermione and Snape for that matter.

The average muggle narrowed eyes at the young wizard.

"If you're looking for that Granger girl, I can tell you that you're wasting your time." he said in a gruff tone. "Been here a while from what I can remember and never really kicked up a fuss until that strange older bloke took up with her...been a good deal of noise ever since coming from that place."

"Noise?" asked Harry with an arched eyebrow.

"Non-stop even at 3:00 in the morning." said the neighbor bitterly. "If you ask me the older bloke's got the look of a criminal about him, always sneaking about in the darkness...he only comes out at night you see...and the eyes of a predator if ever I saw one."

"D-Do you know where they are now?" asked Harry getting to the point.

"They moved out a week ago." replied the neighbor. "Good riddance I say...all that bloody noise and so forth."

The green eyed wizard had been stunned.

"Were you a friend of her's?" asked the average looking muggle.

"I use to be." replied Harry in a saddened tone. "We had a bit of a falling out..."

"And she moved on with that older bloke." said the average muggle. "That's usually how it goes when once cannot seem to meet their expectations."

Harry wanted to assure the man that he had no romantic inclination towards Hermione but somehow he felt it didn't matter one way or the other. She had been gone and Snape with her. The witch had gone as far away from anyone from their former life as possible. The green eyed wizard didn't doubt that it might have been in a bid to protect Snape given all that was done to him.

"Y-You don't happen to know where they moved do you?" he asked using the average muggle's opinion of his and Hermione's relationship to gain more information.

"Didn't say." replied the average muggle thoughtfully. "Come to think of it they didn't have any moving vans come this way either."

"Well, thanks for the information." said Harry.

He made like he was attempting to leave and the muggle man turned his attention back to his own door. The last words out of his mouth were about some criminal bloke and noise before he was suddenly without memory of either. Harry Potter made his way toward the safest apparation point. Where ever Hermione was, she didn't want to be found...not by him or anyone for that matter.

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 _The Bedroom,Cozy flat,Unknown Location..._

Amber eyes opened in a bid to shake off the remainder of her sleep. Her unruly brown hair had been allowed to fall freely at her slender shoulders. The crisp white sheets had slid down her sweat blasted skin and she felt a small chill as a light breeze came into the room. She had not worn a stitch of clothing and that was to be expected given the amount of time Severus spent spelling them off since their arrival at this place. With the exception of her light breathing, the light tapping of raindrops on the rooftop and against the windows had gotten her attention. When she had last been awake it had not yet begun to rain.

The formerly asleep witch stretched and moved about the large poster-less bed. It didn't take her long to figure out Severus had not been with her. As she began to focus she found that it was merely because he was just three feet away staring out the window watching the drops splatter against the cold window and slowly stream down in rapid succession.

The thought driven wizard had not a stitch of clothing on him as he continued to stare out the window and the breeze hardly caused him to shiver. Hermione smiled when she saw him and gently got out of bed. She wrapped a loose sheet around her slender body and moved behind Severus whom had no objections to her presence.

Her arms wrapped around his waist and he simple stood as lost in thought as before.

"What are you thinking about?" asked the rather curious witch.

"Traveling mostly." replied Snape not at all taking his eyes off the window. "I did a lot of it at one point."

"Perhaps we may travel once more...when the time is right." replied Hermione resting her head against his back.

"Perhaps." agreed Snape still looking out the window.

"Have you eaten?" asked the witch as she pressed against him.

"I have no inclination to do so." he replied at last turning to face her swiftly pressing her slender frame close to his own lean chest. "My current "appetites" are not to be sated by mediocre substance."

The witch giggled a bit as Snape brought her hand to his face and kissed it. She knew all too well what he meant given the flicker of mischief behind his obsidian eyes.

"Didn't you satisfy your current "appetites" enough for the passed two hours?" she asked knowing the answer to that all too well.

In reply Snape simply lifted the witch off the floor and carried her back toward the bed. His lean pale body slithered between her thighs with ease as he unraveled the crisp sheet just enough to get a view of her breasts. The young witch continued her fit of giggles as he slowly and methodically kissed along each one.

"So...Miss Granger...does it appear that my appetites have been satisfied?" he asked as he continued to kiss her breasts.

Hermione let out a series of soft moans in the wake of his antics. Unable to speak she settled for shaking her head. Snape offered up a wicked smirk before continuing his "assault" on her person.

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 _The Potter Residence, The Burrows, Wizarding World..._

Harry arrived home in record time after finding the correct apparation point. He had been more than a little disappointed that Hermione and Snape chose to leave the wizarding world and everything from the past behind. While it was true they had ever right to turn their backs on a world and people whom treated them like dirt, it was still a significant loss for the magical community to lose two of it's most intelligent and influential magical pupils. The green eyed wizard had no doubt that Snape and Hermione could make a life anywhere they chose but there was still a good deal of questions Harry had for the former Head of Slytherin.

Snape had been the only person to truly know his mother that had still been around. The young Gryffindor wizard's Aunt Petunia and her family had long since disappeared into the obscurity of the muggle world and there was no trace of them since. There was not even a way to tell if Petunia would truthfully discuss the life of her deceased sister given all the envy and hatred she felt towards her.

The green eyed wizard sighed heavily as he made his way over toward his usual armchair.

They were well and truly gone and it was all his fault.

Thinking back to how he handled the situation with Snape, he knew he should have headed the man's warnings but his rage over Dumbledore's death and his natural hatred for the Potions Master got in the way. He had not even attempted to see the man's side of things even when he had known Snape had never lied to him, not even once. While it was true the sod omitted a good deal of things whenever they crossed paths and he had been as Slytherin as they come in terms of getting around a point without volunteering the wrong kind of information, but he had never lied to him.

As for Hermione, she had been nothing if not the most loyal and trustworthy of friends. She spent most of her Hogwarts terms getting them out of trouble and figuring out what Harry needed in a bid to understand his destiny within the perimeters of the wizarding world. They had gotten into more than their fair share of scrapes back then and her support of Snape spoke volumes. In his arrogance and rage, Harry pronounced her a whore before the entire wizarding world just because she had the courage to stand up for what was right even when no one else had.

It was safe to say at this point that he had lost her friendship for good. And no one could say for sure where he stood with Snape given the gross error that Harry committed against the poor wizard, having him imprisoned in Azkaban for five years.

The green eyed wizard sat alone in his family sitting room until he heard the tell tale screeching of an owl. Carefully, Harry made his way over toward the window and let the poor bird inside. He recognized it as the Malfoy family owl and with curious hands, he took the letter it carried. The bird screeched and flapped it's great wings taking off as soon as the letter was delivered.

"I wonder what this is?" pondered Harry out loud.

He quickly opened the envelope and found written in pristine black ink in Hermione Granger's delicate hand the words that filled him with utter relief.

 _ **Dear Harry,**_

 _ **I suppose by now you have discovered that Severus and I are gone and have no plans to be found in the near future. I am only informing you at his request that he is well and will continue to be so not that he is back where he belongs. I, myself am still rather sore given how much damage you caused him but he insists I let you have a pass. So you have it I suppose. In case these words are too difficult for your mediocre sensibilities to comprehend, I forgive you for your antics and so does Severus...hope this letter finds you well and gives you at least some small amount of peace with the mistakes you've made in the past. Please do not try to contact us. Enjoy the remainder of your life and we will do the same.**_

 _ **Hermione Jean Granger.**_

Harry had been stunned by her insistence that he stay out of their lives but he was grateful that Snape had been well and that both of them had forgiven him for his actions against them. It saddened the green eyed wizard that his closest friend was indeed gone from his reach but he was at peace knowing that she and Snape were happy together. If anything good came out of the past five years of anguish for the poor sod it was that he and Hermione Granger formed some kind of bond that ultimately resulted in their current understanding.

"Be well Hermione." said Harry more so to himself than anyone in the empty house. "At least the bloke's got you on his side."

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 _The Sitting Room, Cozy Flat, Unknown Location..._

Hermione Granger had been curled up on the sofa of her sitting room with Severus Snape once more resting his head in her lap. His lengthy body dangled a bit over the side but he didn't seem to have a care in the world as they enjoyed the peace and comfort of their new home. The witch softly stroked his cheek as she appeared to be in deep concentration.

"Giving up so soon are we Granger?" asked Snape with a wicked smirk filed across his pale face.

"Not on your life." replied Hermione narrowing her amber eyes as she continued to stroke her lover's cheek.

"Gagunale." said Snape in an effort to repeat the word she had been pondering for the last several minutes. "You're the one that wanted to make the game more of a challenge so don't even think about asking for a sentence."

"Git." muttered Hermione in annoyance.

Snape chuckled rather darkly at this.

"Don't get snippy with me witch." he said in a calm tone. "If you don't know the world you just have to admit that I am superior."

"And become your servant for the next two weeks...I think not." replied Hermione defiantly.

"You're the one that wanted to make it interesting." said Snape still with that smirk.

"And you just jumped at the chance..bloody git." she replied.

"Possibly." he replied with a flicker of mischief behind his obsidian eyes.

The amber eyed witch took a moment and suddenly came to the realization of the answer.

"Language." she said.

Snape's smirk disappeared.

She had figured it out at last.

"Insufferable know-it-all." he muttered.

This time it was Hermione's turn to laugh.

"My turn." she said pleasantly.

"By all means." he replied.

Hermione moved off the sofa and Snape leaned back down on the sofa with his head against the arm rest.

"Lunahigg." said Hermione unable to suppress the giggle that erupted from Snape's astonished expression.

"Repeat that." said Snape with an arched eyebrow.

"Lunahigg." said the amber eyed witch still amused by his lack of understanding.

"What the bloody hell kind of word is that?" he asked annoyed.

"What's the matter love can't concentrate?" asked Hermione in a sultry tone.

"How can I bloody concentrate with your breasts flapping about as they are?" he asked with a mischievous expression.

"That's still not what the word is." said Hermione moving to sit on the former Head of Slytherin's lap.

Snape groaned at the added contact to his already swelling cock.

"Bloody demented witch." he muttered.

"What's the word?" asked the amber eyed witch with a hint of mischief behind her own gaze.

"I-do not know." admitted Snape gripping her slender hips.

"Then you forfeit the challenge?" asked Hermione kissing along his exposed neck with soft distracting pecks.

"Yes." replied Snape lost in her savvy form of play. "I concede."

Strangely enough he had not been all that upset by it.

Hermione smirked wickedly as she got up from the sofa and Snape making her way toward the bedroom.

"Come along servant." she said pleased to finally have won their little game. "You're services are required in the bedroom."

Snape returned her smirk and got off the sofa.

"Whatever you say...Mistress." he said with a smug expression on his sallow pale face.

He followed the little vixen into their shared bedroom knowing full well what service she wanted him to apply to her current problem. Despite the loss, Snape had no objections to how her first given orders of the day were to turn out. Ever the optimistic Slytherin, The Potions Master figured she'd adhere to his will sooner or later and believe it was all of her own accord. A sly smirk once more filed across his sallow pale face as he entered the bedroom.

 _Perhaps service to a witch almost as randy as he had been wasn't such a terrible thing after all._


	73. Chapter 72:Theory Of Confrontation

**Chapter 72:** _ **Theory Of Confrontation**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Don't come close...I don't want you to see my face...my face...You go away...I work so hard...I don't have time to start all over...Most, most people would release you... Most, most people don't change they only get old...In all your life...You'll never live down what you can't forget, so forget it...Flick it away and our time flies...Bringing disease to the surface...Ouch I must be...Sharper than your average man...Tell me honey what's the plan?..."} Don't Come Close,Yeasayer**_

 _Therapist Office, Unknown Location..._

 _ **S**_ everus Snape's obsidian eyes glared at the clock hanging behind The Psychiatrist's chair. Her name had been Dr. Claire Hartley and she was supposed to be highly recommended given that she had once lived in the wizarding world before marrying a muggle man and leaving the wizarding community forever. She had been an average looking woman, professional by all accounts and well astute when it came to her work. She had short brown hair pulled back in a professional looking bun and wore a good deal of leggings in various color types to best match her skirts and blazers.

At the moment, the former Potions Professor had been sitting with his arms folded across his chest with something of a heated glare fixed on the good doctor. Her brown eyes had been without judgment since their first introduction but Snape always found a reason to hate the woman. He had resented needing to come to this place and he resented her being paid to listen to his problems, more often than not it was a bit of pride issue with Snape and the doctor but after his last violent set of mood swings Hermione demanded he see a professional.

"Professor Snape, are you that intimidated by little old me that you will not contribute anything to today's discussion?" asked Dr. Hartley.

The Former Head of Slytherin scoffed.

"The day a Slytherin lives in fear of a Hufflepuff, I shall bow to Dumbledore and admit that Gryffindor is the most superior house in Hogwarts." he muttered. "And please refrain from referring to me as Professor, I have retired from teaching and have no desire to go back."

Dr. Hartley seemed to be a bit amused by his remark.

"Well do you mind if I address you by your given name?" she asked in a bid to be courteous.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Can we just get this blasted session over with?" he asked frustrated.

"Severus, I am afraid that we cannot do that." she said in a very stern tone. "Hermione would no doubt be very upset by your lack of progress."

"Of course she would." muttered Snape starting at the clock one again. "She's the one who bloody sent me here."

Dr. Hartley made a few notes on the pad she had been scribbling on for the last few minutes.

"Severus, can you tell me about the incident that lead her to make this decision to bring you here?" she asked.

Snape sighed in annoyance.

"I had a bit too much to drink." he said in his own defense. "It happens now and then...but some of my unsavory elements got the better of me and I was unable to keep control of them."

Dr. Hartley nodded and made more marks on the note pad.

This only proved to annoy Snape further.

"Severus, I was informed by Hermione that you broke all the furniture in the sitting room, smashed a glass bottle of wine in your bare hands and cut yourself deeply in a bid to challenge old memories from your time in Azkaban." said the doctor in a serious tone.

"I...it wasn't as bad a she makes it out to be." muttered Snape still glaring at the wall. "And the shattering of the bottle was accidental."

Dr. Hartley sighed.

"Severus, it is very apparent that Hermione cares a great deal for you even when you care very little for yourself." she said making an observation. "Do you at all reciprocate her feeling in the least?"

This had gotten The Potions Master's attention in the worst way. His obsidian gaze shifted from the far hung clock to the Dr. in an instant.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" he asked sharply with his eyes blazing in fury.

"Do you care for Hermione at all?" asked Dr. Hartley in a calm and professional manner.

"OF COURSE I DO!" shouted Snape filled to the brim with rage, so much so that he practically lept from the chair no longer having his arms folded across his chest. "I LOVE HER FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!"

Dr. Hartley quietly nodded and made another scribbling on her note pad.

"Bearing that you love her in mind, Severus don't you think that you owe it to her to at least try and make some progress during these sessions?" she asked.

Snape sighed exhausted in his attempts to put off the inevitable. He knew very well that he needed this strange witch's assistance and the longer he put off giving her the information it only made this entire situation harder on himself and Hermione. She had given up so much for him and asked for so very little in return.

"Fine." he said annoyed as he folded his arms across his chest once more. "Let's get this over with."

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 _Outside, Cozy Flat, Unknown World..._

Hermione Granger managed to carry a good deal of groceries from her seemingly unassuming muggle car toward the front door of the cozy flat she shared with Severus. It had been a rather small place but it suited both her and his tastes just fine. She had mostly been interested in purchasing the place because of the second level basement below. The ambitious witch believed the basement would be perfect for setting up a potions lab should she feel the need to do so. While it was true that Severus had not brewed a potion in quite a few years, she had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before she had him doing so.

The pondering witch unlocked her door and carried in the first few bags with ease given the weightless charm she applied to each one of them before lifting them out of the car. As she worked silent and with a good deal of plans for the night and the future in her mind, she continued to unload the car.

"Must be nice having a bit of fresh air now and then." said a voice from across the fence.

Hermione looked up from the trunk of her car and smiled.

"Mrs. Bateman." she said pleasantly. "How nice to see you today."

"Likewise my dear, likewise." replied Mrs. Bateman. "That stuff shirt bloke of yours doesn't appear to be around today."

The busy young witch took a moment to figure out what she meant by that.

"Oh you mean Severus." she said with a smile.

"Is that his name?" asked Mrs. Bateman with a sneer. "What an unusual name for an unusual man if I do say so...for the life of me I shall never understand what a sweet girl like you sees in that strange fellow."

Hermione continued to shuffle the bags about in the car.

"Mrs. Bateman, Severus is a good man." she replied lifting another bag from the car. "He's just a bit difficult when it comes to new people."

"I'll bet." replied . "Well, don't let me keep you deary...you seem awfully busy this afternoon."

"It was lovely speaking with you Mrs. Bateman." said Hermione politely.

The elderly neighbor made her way back toward her own house and tended to her prized rose garden. Hermione thought it funny that ever neighbor within earshot of them often took immediate dislike toward Severus. Then she recalled his adverse personality and smiled. He did have a way of purposely rubbing other people the wrong way.

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 _Dr. Hartley's Office, Unknown Location..._

Severus Snape once more had his arms stubbornly folded across his chest. His eyes had been drawn back to Dr. Hartley's notepad. He had known all too well that she had been using her annoying little Hufflepuff antics to dissect this discussion. He had admitted to the annoying witch that he had indeed loved Hermione Granger and now she was making plans to use this information to get him to further participate in these ridiculous sessions.

"Severus, have you discussed your feeling with Hermione at any point during your relationship?" asked Dr. Hartley.

"Once." he admitted bitterly.

The doctor didn't seem all that surprised, Slytherins were loathed to open up to anyone about their true feelings even those closest to them. Severus Snape being the former Head of Slytherin was much more difficult to diagnose given his natural inclination to keep emotions buried in his mind, a possible left over side effect of his former position as a spy for The Order within the death eater ranks or the abuse he suffered from as a child.

"You told her you loved her?" asked the doctor curious as to his answer.

"Not...in so many words...I explained that I had grown fond of her." replied Snape still seemingly bitter.

"So you haven't told her how you truly feel about her." said Dr. Hartley.

"I...no." replied Snape looking back at the clock. "I do not suppose that I have."

Dr. Hartley scribbled some more on her note pad.

"How was your relationship with your mother?" she asked. "Would you say that you loved her as a child?"

Immediately Snape's rage returned to the surface. If there was one topic he loathed is was discussion of his deceased mother. Thinking of Hermione the former Potions Professor did his best to quell his anger.

"Yes." he said suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Can you elaborate?" asked Dr. Hartley.

"Yes." said Snape again staring at the clock on the wall. "Like most children, even I loved my mother...she was the only good thing in my life."

"How so?" asked Dr. Hartley. "Were you not fond of your father?"

"Tobais was a brute and a drunkard." said Snape sharply. "He was no father of mine."

The doctor made another note on her pad.

"Proceed." she instructed. "What was your mother's name?"

"Eileen." replied Snape looking back at the clock. "Eileen Prince-Snape."

"What can you tell me about her?" asked the doctor eyeing The Potions Master carefully.

"She...she use to dabble in potions work and Herbology." replied Snape. "She's the reason I became a Potions Master to begin with...she taught me how to brew potions and elixirs long before I got to Hogwarts...it was essentially how we got by in terms of the bills."

"And what of Tobias as you call him...what did he do?" asked Dr. Hartley.

"Aside from beat on his wife and child to make himself feel better about being a drunken brute?" muttered Snape angrily.

"Profession...Severus, what was his profession?" asked the doctor.

"He once worked at the old Cokeworth Mill, at Spinner's End." replied Snape. "Some time when I was about six years old the place closed down and there were lay-offs abound...many families were left poor and scraping by after that."

Dr. Hartley scribbled a few more notes on her notepad.

"What can you tell me about your childhood?" she asked. "How did you grow up in such harsh conditions."

Snape didn't seem all that apprehensive about this part of the discussion, she could see him visibly relax in his chair.

"As I've said before...I had my mother...potions work, despite being a minor and there was Lily Evans." said The Potions Master thinking back to a time seemingly so distant from his current self.

"And whom was Lily Evans?" asked Dr. Hartley making yet another note.

"She was at one point the only friend that I ever had in this world." he replied once more not as apprehensive about this topic. "That was until she and I entered Hogwarts and she became a Gryffindor."

Dr. Hartley looked up at the clock.

"Well Severus that's all the time we have for today...but you have made a good deal of real progress here." she said with a warm smile. "Perhaps the next session you will be more willing to discuss more of this Lily Evans?"

Snape sighed as he too looked up at the clock.

"Sure." he replied "I can tell you all about the time she broke my heart...it should be a real sad tale worthy of your appreciation given that you are a Hufflepuff."

Dr. Hartley sighed.

"I look forward to seeing you again Severus." she said calmly.

"I'm sure." replied Snape taking his leave of the office.

He knew he would be sent back to this accursed place given all his "progress" was sure to please Hermione but that didn't mean he was looking forward to it.

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 _The Kitchen, Cozy Flat, Unknown World..._

The chopping and dicing of vegetables had been done with relative ease as Hermione's well adept hand continued to make short work of the lengthy vegetation. She smiled as the wonderful scent of what she had in store for supper permeated throughout the kitchen and into the sitting room. It had been something she did every afternoon Severus had been forced to attend therapy. The sessions usually left him bitter and he would shut himself up in their bedroom only to be sent out again. Today was different. Today, he had made true progress and the young witch simply wanted to reward him.

As she continued her combination of chopping and dicing ingredients, she could hear the tell tale signs of Severus Snape's arrival into their little neighborhood. They agreed to own one car so he mostly walked or apparated in secret whenever he needed to get someplace. At the moment he had just arrived in time to receive his annual greeting from their neighbor Mrs. Bateman's prized bulldog Warren. Severus hated the dog and often threatened the woman with doing unsavory things to it should he ever be alone with it.

"WATCH WHERE YOU WALK THAT STUPID MANGY BEAST!" shouted Snape as he opened the front door. "IF IT SO MUCH AS LIFTS IT'S HIND LEG ON MY LAWN AGAIN I WILL CHANGE IT'S FUCKING SPECIES!"

Mrs. Bateman shouted something back about him "Being nothing more than an abrasive brute" and Severus finally stepped into the front room. He closed and locked the door behind him and immediately stripped off his coat, hanging it on the rack and kicked off his boots. Hermione continued to make her preparations for their supper as Snape made his way inside and grabbed a muggle beer from the refrigerator.

He said nothing as he popped the top and drank it down. The Potions Master took a moment to calm himself before he noted the scent of his witch's cooking and made his way over toward her.

"Well well..." he said with a sly smirk. "Looks as if someone's taught you to cook like a professional."

Hermione treated him to a smirk of her own as he placed the remainder of his beer on the counter top and wrapped his arms around her waist as she continued to shift and contain ingredients. His lean but healthy body pressed against hers, clad in a plain white-shirt and his ebony trousers and socks.

"Welcome home Severus." said Hermione unable to keep the smile off her face.

"It is good to be home." he replied taking in the familiar scent of jasmine from her unruly brown hair. "And it is especially good to have you in my arms witch."

"I'll bet." she replied. "So how was your session?"

"There was progress as Dr. Hartley no doubt informed you." replied Snape still pressing his body against the young witch. "We have come to a few conclusions that you will no doubt be pleased to hear."

"Oh?" asked Hermione genuinely intrigued at the moment.

Snape stopped her from chopping vegetables and turned her around to face him.

"First, you were right there are some things that I need to work on." he admitted.

"Naturally." said Hermione unabashed in tooting her own horn.

The former Potions Professor fought the urge to take house points from her for the little gloating display and could only smile.

"Secondly, witch if you are done being an insufferable know-it-all..." he said finally.

"Oh come now Severus, I'll always be your insufferable know it all." countered Hermione causing him to chuckle a bit.

"If you will keep that delectable little mouth of yours shut for five seconds I can tell you the second conclusion that was made today." said Snape.

Hermione grinned rather mischievously.

"I might need some help in that department." she taunted.

"Consider yourself fortunate that I have a more pressing desire than to silence you with something hard and lengthy." retorted Snape.

The young witch giggled at this.

"Well, what was the second thing already." said Hermione letting her curiosity get the better of her.

"I have come to the conclusion that..." he began still struggling with being honest about his feelings. "I love...I love you."

Hermione's amber eyes widened upon hearing the three words she waited so long to hear from him.

"I love you...insufferable, arrogant, bushy haired, Gryffindor vixen." said Snape in case she had been hard of hearing.

"S-Severus." she said as tears suddenly came cascading down her cheeks.

"Oh don't do that." said Snape unnerved by the scene. "I hate it when you do that...this is why I do not tell you things."

Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and smacked him playfully across the chest.

"Stupid git...leave it to you to make light of a happy moment." she said.

"Well, allow me to make it better." replied Snape with a mischievous expression.

Before Hermione could inquire further, he lifted her off the floor and sat her on the kitchen counter. She could only giggle as he pulled her into a deeply passionate kiss ensuring that the rest of his memory remained a good one for her. Both had been rendered breathless as he pulled away.

"I love you, Hermione." he said with staring into her eyes.

"I love you too, Severus." she replied returning his kiss with just as much passion as he had given her.

Snape let her down after a while and allowed her to return to making their supper for the evening. He made his way toward their bedroom to lie down for a few hours. All of this emotional revelation had made him quite tired it seemed. Hermione smiled as she watched him go, content in the slight progress he had made with his new therapist. At this rate it wouldn't be long before he was at last mentally sound and less dependent upon drink to function. One thing was for sure, Dr. Hartley did good work. She never expected Severus to admit his feeling for her this soon. Perhaps he believed it was time. Or Perhaps she had earned such a declaration after all this time. Either way, it pleased the witch to no end that he had finally said those three words she had been wanting desperately to hear from him.


	74. Chapter 73:Wayward Emotions For A Sombe

**Chapter 73:** _ **Wayward Emotions For A Somber Homecoming**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...I'll be honest my concentration varies during this chap but hopefully it makes since...at the moment my nephew demands a good deal of my attention...Late Post.}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Take that look of worry...I'm an ordinary man...They don't tell me nothing...So I find out what I can...There's a fire that's been burning...Right outside my door...I can't see but I feel it...And it helps to keep me warm...So I, I don't mind...No I, I don't mind...Seems so long I've been waiting...Still don't know what for...There's no point escaping...I don't worry anymore...I can't come out to find you...I don't like to go outside...They can't turn off my feelings...Like they're turning off a light...But I, I don't mind...No I, I don't mind...Oh I, I don't mind...No I, I don't mind...So take, take me home...'Cause I don't remember...Take, take me home...'Cause I don't remember...Take, take me home...Oh Lord, 'cause I've been a prisoner all my life..."} Take Me Home, Phil Collins**_

 _ **Warning: Some Sexual Content ahead...**_

 _Spinner's End,Cokeworth England, Muggle World..._

 _ **R**_ ancid air further enhanced by the scent rain water had been doing a number on Severus Snape's stomach as he touched down in the town of Cokeworth, England. Spinner's End had not changed much aside from even fewer families populating this forgotten slum of the world. The river continued to pump more of it's swill into the carved out area between banks still littered with timeless rubbish. The eyesore of a mill the only true landmark of this wretched place. The dilapidated brick house, ironically the last on the back left row of houses, had been his childhood home. The Potions Master reached the front step hearing the sloshing sound of his ebony dragon hide boots against concrete with the heavy pouring of rain. He had made a few adjustments to this place when he had cared to visit back then and it seems they had been well worth it.

Snape took a rather uneasy breath letting the wayward drops cascade down his body as his pale hand reached for the door knob. The old key had evidently still worked, impressive given he had not used it in close to seven years at this point, the last time being to put up Worm-tail and greet the notorious Black sisters when Narcissa came with her plea for Draco. He had taken the wife of his then imprisoned best friend that night in many ways than one at her urging. Since then, this place has remained largely abandoned and for the most part forgotten unless visited by the ailing wizard in his dreams.

"Severus?" said the sweet and largely concerned voice of Hermione Granger as she stood beside him.

Her notorious hair carefully pulled back into a hood that kept her from the brunt of the rain's force as she took in the seemingly lost sight of her tormented lover. This idea of confronting his past had been from Dr. Hartley herself and she had given a warning that it would not be an easy feat. Severus had been making a stunning amount of progress given his initial reluctance to participate but it all seemed to be doing him a world of good.

"I'm fine." said Snape gathering himself quickly. "I just don't know what to expect, given I haven't been here in a while."

"Seven years defiantly qualifies as a while." said the amber eyed witch trying her best to be supportive.

Snape treated her to a brief smile before her opened the door. No sooner had the hard wooden structure opened, a gust of wind entered the shut in house and brought out the stench of years old firewhiskey and stale piss. The place had not changed much since Tobias had been around it seemed and it was Severus whom had been the sole owner of this sorry excuse of a residence.

"Watch your step." said Severus entering the house as he had done so many times before.

Hermione quickly followed close behind him unsure of what this place or his memories would do to him.

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 _The Sitting Room, Spinner's End, Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

Despite it having been a good number of years since Tobias Snape terrorized this household, the broken furniture and thick scent of alcohol were sad reminders of his reign of terror. It had been strange to Snape that he had been in charge of the house and yet nothing seemed to change. Of course, he had not used his drunkenness to slap around a woman or a child but he had been a good deal more like the muggle brute than he believed he had been.

Hermione looked around the childhood home of her tormented lover. It had been strikingly identical to the place she had seen in his mind. Aside from the rows of books shelves aligned along the sitting room wall stocked full of old muggle leather bound books, it had been exactly the same place as before given how vivid Severus' memories had been while she traveled within his broken mind.

As she continued to look about and draw comparisons, she noted the vast number of empty firewhiskey bottles that littered the sitting room floor, The lone armchair in front of the fireplace, and the various splatters of blood that lined the wooden floorboards.

Snape sighed appearing to be staring at the blood splatters as well.

"The last I visited this place, I was being chased by Moody." he explained. "Needless to say, he didn't take too kindly to my apparent treachery when it came to Albus' "death" and decided that I wasn't worth jailing in Azkaban...he attempted to have his vengeance without a trial."

Hermione couldn't imagine how horrible that experience must have been for Severus.

"I'm sorry." she said softly.

"You have nothing to apologize for." he replied before waving his wand and adding a bit of light to the otherwise darkened room. "Moody was a brute drunkard son of a whore...and delighted in beating on anyone with association with The Dark Lord...he and I have had quite a few run-ins before then."

Snape took off his coat and hung it up on the rack beside the front door. He then turned his attention to the fireplace and fiddled with it a bit before lighting a fire capable of warming the old house. Hermione hung up her coat as well and wiped out her wand deciding to make short work of all the empty bottles and the splatters of blood. Snape sat down in the old armchair and stared at the flames for a few moments. He had not expected the emotional impact of being in this place to be so intense.

Hermione noticed Severus' silence and it gave her cause for concern.

"Severus?" she said cautiously, Dr. Hartley warned her that Severus could revert back to his initial status of shutting down his emotions. "Talk to me."

Snape stared into the flames as the sound of screams and shouting filled his ears. The whimpers of a small child had been present followed by the shattering of glass and crying.

Hermione walked over to the silent wizard and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Severus." she said in a calm tone. "Please say something."

"This house carries a lot of dark memories for me." he replied at last. "Every time I come to this place, it seems to carry echoes of the past."

"The last time I saw this place a certain teenage git was trying to have his way with me." said Hermione in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Snape smirked looking over the witch briefly.

"Tobias wasn't exactly easy to live with." he admitted. "There were many nights, after the old mill closed down, that he would come in smelling of whatever swill passed for a drink down at the local pub and come home to take his misfortunes out on my mother for a time then myself later in my childhood."

"From what I've seen of him in your memories...he was indeed a drunken brute." said Hermione. "But has your opinion of him changed when you found out that he was changed by Mathias?"

Snape got to his feet and walked toward the fireplace. The dancing red orange and yellow flames seemed to put him in a trance as he stood there not making a sound as her words sank in. It took another few moments before he sighed heavily without facing her.

"It is a well known fact by this point that I was indeed what you would call a death eater." said The Potions Master. "I spent half my life in the company of ruthless murderers and thieves...drunks and rapists were among our little group as well if you could imagine it."

The amber eyed witch had not wished to think of her lover in such an unsavory group given his involvement in saving the wizarding world from Voldemort and protecting her and her friends since they arrived at Hogwarts.

"Severus, we don't have to discuss this if you don't wish to." she said.

"Is that not why we are here?" asked Snape still looking at the fire. "To discover the root of my so-called trauma."

"Not of it's pushing you too far before you're ready." she said still with a voice heavy with concern.

The Potions Master caught a glimpse of a hidden bottle of firewhiskey along the mantle of the fireplace. He smirked rather bitterly recalling how it was placed there to begin with. He had attempted to drink it the night he was set to kill Dumbledore but had run out of time. Hermione watched as he stared into the swirling dark liquid.

"The point is witch, I was no different than any of my so called brothers...especially when it came to individuals of muggle blood." replied Snape continuing to stare into the swirling liquid as if hypnotized. "What many do not know about our spirited little organization, or rather what many feared was all too soon proven a reality for me...When the time came to be initiated, I was to take the life of a muggle in a bid to prove my loyalty."

"You don't have to tell me this." she said suddenly not wishing to hear the darkest of his secrets all at once.

"Oh but I insist love...I feel it only right to inform you of whom it is you have bedding you." he replied in an emotionless tone.

Hermione instantly knew that it wasn't a good sign as to how this little exercise was going.

"Like any good death eater, I did as I was told." replied Snape with a flicker of something malicious behind his obsidian eyes. "I sought out a muggle for the means of gaining access to power and furthering my own ambition."

It didn't take long for Hermione's eyes to widen.

"Severus, you didn't..." she said stunned.

Snape's eyes went from the firewhiskey to the young witch still rocked by his yet to be stated admission.

"In my rage...I decided that Tobias would make an ideal target instead of a muggle with whom I had no quarrel." said The Potions Master. "I believed I was justified you see...for the sins he had committed against my mother...I gave very little thought to his treatment of me."

"You didn't know." said the witch understanding what he was trying to convey to her.

"Mathias...took my father from me before I was even born." said Snape with a bit of rage dripping into his tone. "I never got the chance to meet the man that would have been my father, and I took away any chance of salvaging what remained of him...you see Potter and I are not so different in our brazen impulsiveness...at least where my so called grandfather is concerned."

"Is that why you forgave him so easily?" asked Hermione suddenly recalling Snape's shift in attitude toward his former tormentor.

"Partially." replied The Potions Master almost fondly. "I suppose I was seeking a bit of forgiveness of my own."

The amber eyed witch certainly understood this and his line of thinking given all that he had done in his past. No longer content to allow him to wallow this much in his own agony. Severus pushed the bottle back up on the mantle and grabbed the witch desperate in his attempts to pull her closer.

"I'm sorry." he said seeming to come to his senses. "I..."

Hermione put a finger to his pale lips silencing him before she pressed her own soft pink lips into his.

Snape's notoriously large calloused pale hands gripped her slender body and pulled her closer to him. The pain of those lost years had seemed to dull as The Potions Master turned his attention to the present and sought immediate comfort of Hermione as she appeared to be extending a sort of life line for him.

"Mathias destroyed so much for you." she said stroking his sallow pale cheek. "But he's gone...you made sure of that."

Without saying a word in reply, Severus Snape scooped the slender witch into his arms and carried her up toward the his childhood bedroom.

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 _Snape's Bedroom, Spinner's End, Cokeworth England, Muggle World..._

The kissing only increased in intensity as Snape reached the narrow hall, all too familiar to both himself and Hermione as he chose the smaller room on the left. He gently sat her down on his rather small bed and she had barely a glimpse of the numerous muggle band posters along the dark green painted walls. As per the usual with Severus, especially in times of emotional strain, he had spelled off their clothes and was immediately sliding his lean pale body between her slender thighs. His kisses were rough and as desperate as the situation seemed to be as he eased his way into her.

"I love you." said Snape meeting her amber eyes briefly before thrusting into her warmth like he had so many times before.

Hermione let out a short gasp before running her fingers along his exposed back. He groaned kissing along her neck as he began to thrust into her slender body in rapid movements. His mind had been clearly elsewhere given the far off look behind his obsidian eyes as she bit her lip to contain her shouting. The sound of the rain falling against the old house had been comforting as the witch coupled with her tormented lover.

Unbeknownst to her, The images of Eileen Prince-Snape's bloodied corpse discovered in the kitchen the summer a sixteen year old Severus returned home from Hogwarts had been all he could see at the moment. His body performing of it's own accord given the nature of his heavily weighted thoughts.

"Severus." said Hermione gripping the now sweat-soaked wizard as he increased his pace and the power behind each thrust.

The Potions Master growled increasing his pace further gripping the bed below her with as much intensity as he would have shown if he had been strangling the life out of someone. The small front of the bed beat rhythmically against the wall shaking much of the books and collections gathered in the room years prior.

It was strange for Hermione to be in the very place her lover grew up, the place where he had spent hours with his day dreams and developing his natural talent as a Potions Master. It had also been the place where his pain originated, the place where his father brutalized him and his mother. And the place where he learned to appreciate moving about in the shadows.

"Go slow." said the witch as she kissed his neck following another of his deep thrusts.

Snape did his best to comply not at all shaking the images that plagued his mind of his mother's gruesome death all those years ago. Hermione's amber eyes had been filled with tears as Severus continued to thrust into her slender body. His mind sharply projecting images of pain and death that seemed to overwhelm the witch as she lied there with her back pressed between the mattress and her lover's lean pale frame.

"Severus." she said in a broken tone as she could see the lifeless obsidian eyes of a witch she had known so little about, who wore a simple cotton dress stained with a good deal of blood and her own sallow pale skin had been stained with the slick crimson as well.

Severus had favored her a good deal, but there were obvious traits he had acquired from his father. Such as his height and abrasive temper. Eileen had been a good woman as far as Snape's memories had been able to recall and his finding her that afternoon set him on a path that delivered him into darkness. His rage over his beloved mother's loss had been quelled like magma from a seemingly dormant volcano ready to erupt when one least expected it.

"Y-You found her?" asked Hermione just as Snape reached his end, releasing everything he had bottled up into the witch below him.

She let out a small shriek from the sudden sharpness of his thrusts but relaxed as her own release washed over her. The tears however had not stopped coming as they continued to make their way down her supple cheeks.

"Severus." said Hermione meeting his gaze as she captured his attention by forcing him to look into her eyes.

Snape sighed.

Both the witch's hands had been to each of his cheeks warm in their intent as well as to the touch, but he had been covered with sweat and chilled from the breeze that entered the room from the lack of heat being generated in the small drafty old house.

"I am so sorry that you had to endure so much hardship and given how young you were and how often you had to take care of yourself, it's a wonder you managed to do all the things you've accomplished at all." she said softly. "What Tobias did was unforgivable, but Mathias was responsible for what happened to both your mother and your father...your real father...it had nothing to do with you...this was between the old wizard and your parents."

Snape simply met her gaze without saying a word.

He heard what she said but he couldn't bring himself to believe it.

Hermione sighed.

"Of all the times to hold yourself accountable Severus Snape this is the absolute worst thing you can do to yourself." she said concerned. "What happened then was NOT your Fault."

"How can you say that?" asked Snape with an eyebrow arched as he continued to meet her gaze. "I killed my father."

More tears streamed down Hermione cheeks and he wiped them away before pulling his spent body away from hers and lying on his side. The young witch curled up against him as he stared up at the ceiling seemingly lost in thought.

"I love you, Severus." she said stroking his tear stained cheek. "I know that you must be going through a lot of different emotions at this moment.. but please try and remember that I need you...perhaps it is purely selfish on my part for saying so..."

"You can never be considered selfish in my eyes Hermione." said Snape pulling his witch close to him. "While you are right about my warring emotions...none of my relative confusion has anything to do with you...my feelings concerning you witch, are as they have always been...it's just this house...it has always gotten to me in some way...it haunts me...even when I am not here and when I am..."

"You can't seem to shake it's hold on you." she said understanding.

"Exactly." he replied. "I would like to stay here overnight...if that is alright with you...there are some things...that I wish to address."

"Of course." replied Hermione. "But you'd better know that I'm staying with you."

Snape gave her a hint of a smirk.

"I had no doubt of that." he said seemingly amused for a moment at least. "At this present time I'd say that I am in dire need of a rest."

A yawn escaped Hermione as she scooted her body closer to his, the sound of the rain beating against the old house had been rather comforting for the time being and they each drifted off into a seemingly pleasent sleep worn out from travel and radical shifts in their emotions. As well as their strenuous activity a few moments prior.


	75. Chapter 74:The Turned Tide Of Darkness

**Chapter 74:** _ **The Turned Tide Of Darkness**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...Had to take a mandatory break for my hand to heal properly...sorry for the wait...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"I want to take his eyes out...Just for looking at you...Yes I do...I want to take his hands off...Just for touching you...Yes I do...And I want to rip his heart out...Just for hurting you...And I want to break his mind down...Yes I do...And I want to make him...Regret life since the day he met you...Yes I do...And I want to make him...Take back all that he took from you...Yes I do..."}Just For, Nickleback**_

 _Spinner's End,Cokeworth England, Muggle World..._

 _ **H**_ eavy Rain continued to pour down on the shabby dilapidated brick houses of _Spinner's End_. It had been slippery to even put one foot in front of the other on the street had had not seen a repair in a lengthy number of years. While most would avoid being caught out in the down pour, a lone figure moved about in the darkness with tears streaming down her pale cheeks as her dark brown eyes barely focused on the way in front of her. She had gotten a good distance from the last place she had been hunkered down for the night and with each step her resolve was strengthened. Although she had only been ten years of age, she had the look about her of someone who had been given a hard life. Her decisively pale and apparently malnourished frame, right along with her shoulder length lank raven hair, soaked by the continued rain.

As she walked her shoulders sagged heavily from the weight of her sorrow. The puddles of water and mud on the broken ash colored streets had been filling her hole infested shoes as she continued toward her aimless destination. There was fear in her heart and a murderous intent behind her sorrowful brown eyes coupled with the hopelessness of her apparent youth.

With surprising footwork, she made her way through the maze of the dilapidated brick houses seemingly at random until she came across one on the far left side of the semi-abandoned town. The former textile town had been largely empty and a good deal of the weather worn houses had been abandoned. The frightened rain soaked girl left hand prints of blood along the slick sides of the seemingly empty house as she stumbled inside. Her desire for warmth and safe harbor over riding her sense that there was something about this house that had not been like the others.

"There she is!" shouted a menacing voice in the darkness. "Get her!"

Terrified beyond belief, the ten year old raven haired girl stumbled toward the strange house and found relief when the door gave way allowing her to enter. She had been on the verge of loosing consciousness when she caught sight of what appeared to be a rather large black cat leap from inside the door and toward the men pursuing her.

The roar it let out should have made her feel nothing more than increased fear but there was something about the creatures eyes that let her know that he was somehow there for her protection. As the young girl lost consciousness she noted the lion had been long gone but a man clad in ebony remained, his lengthy hair raven in color much like her own and his skin as pale as her's had been. The eyes had been the same as the black cat that had scared away those bad men chasing after her and he seemed to have a strange aura about him.

"Sleep now child." said a rich baritone voice that only added to her feelings of comfort.

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 _The Sitting Room, Spinner's End, Muggle World..._

Hermione Granger paced the front room until Severus came bursting into the front door. The rain had been as bad as it was before they had gone to bed and it wasn't a surprise to see him soaked to the bone. The concerned witch moved to embrace him, for fear of his mind once more casting shadows from his checkered past upon her lover. He stopped her with a cold stare and she noticed what appeared to be a child seemingly small and shivering in his ebony clad arms. The witch had awakened to find her lover gone and the storm that had taken hold of this forgotten part of the world had gotten worse.

"Severus." said Hermione stunned to see the rain soaked girl. "Where did you find this girl?"

Snape said nothing as he carried the girl toward the threadbare sofa and layed her down gently. He cast a few drying and warming charms before turning his attention to the fireplace. He got it back to heating the entire house as Hermione watched him with acute fascination.

"Severus, what's going on?" she asked as he moved toward her. "What happened to this poor girl?"

Snape glanced at the still apparently unconscious child on the sofa.

"She was attacked for some reason and did her best to get by with the rain...but it doesn't appear that she had been in good health to begin with." he said with concern. "Keep her warm."

Hermione nodded understanding how dire the situation seemed to be. Snape made his way toward a forgotten door beneath the stairs. He took down a series of wards and finally the door opened. He went inside and had not come out for near on ten minutes. When he did return he was holding what the concerned witch knew without a doubt to be a freshly brewed health potion.

"Give her this potion." said Snape walking over toward his lover and handing her the potion. "This should help with her other hidden symptoms as well."

Snape moved toward the door, clearly having every intention of going back out into the rain.

"Severus, wait." said Hermione unsure of what had been on her lover's mind and not wishing for him to have another mental breakdown.

"I'll return soon." he said before pulling her into a passionate kiss and rushing off into the rain filled night.

Having no other choice but to accept his word, Hermione turned her attention back to the ailing little girl. She seemed to be doing well enough given she had been warm and dry. As she got closer, the amber eyed witch noticed the various number of bruises that lined the little girl's thin pale arm. The tell tale signs of abuse or at least some form of physical trauma took place for the girl and Hermione's heart went out to her.

The ten year old raven haired girl's body shifted some against the sofa and she let out a low whimper.

Hermione did as Snape instructed and gave the little girl the health potion. It had been effective enough to heal her already battered little body and did a good deal to erase the bruises that lined her pale skin. As the girl slept, Hermione couldn't help but note how the child looked quite similar to Severus given their shared pale skin and lean build. Their eyes had been slightly different with hers being a deep brown color as opposed to obsidian black and her hair had been just as lank and raven in color as his.

The amber eyed witch continued to watch over the sleeping ten year old with a dozen or more questions forming in her own busy mind. As the rain continued to beat against the house, she wondered just what her lover had been up to in the wake of the storm and why he saw fit to rush off the way he did.

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 _Unknown Street, Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

Severus Snape has traced the familiar path granted to him by his insight into the ailing little girl's tormented little mind. She had run from this direction in the hopes of finding help for someone. He could recall how her heart had been pounding in both fear and anticipation as she rounded each corner hoping that she would not be discovered by her very angry and heavily armed assailants. Snape had been filled with an all too familiar node of disgust as he continued to trace the path she took. The rain coming down had been of no consequence to him as his mind had been keenly focused on locating his target.

It had not taken long for the swift striding wizard to approached the abandoned house with a half broken roof that barely kept out the steady streams that soaked everything else that had been around it. The Potions Professor could tell that this place had been a last resort attempt at refuge for the coming storm and not a livable establishment for means of existence.

He could barely make out the human shaped lump in the center of the floor with blood pooled beside him. There was shallow breath coming from the battered victim and as he stepped closer it became all too apparent that this victim had been male. Without a moment's hesitation, Snape entered the half steady building and approached the downed man.

He quickly applied a healing charm to keep the poor man from bleeding to death. Snape shifted him onto his side and found his face covered in blood and his eyes depicting great suffering. A chill ran through the wizard as he noted the distinct similarities in this man's injuries and those that had been inflicted upon his own father by him all those years ago.

Shaking himself from the memory, Snape continued to focus on the ailing man before him. From what he gathered of the unknown girl's mind, this man had been her father and she loved him a great deal. Even now he could feel the projected fears of losing him from where she had been on the sofa in his childhood home. Moving as carefully as he could manage, Snape scooped the unconscious man into his arms then carried him over his shoulder like a war vet would a fallen comrade.

The man had been lighter than he expected despite the need for a weight charm to be applied given his lack of movement. Dead weight was still weight none the less and given the span of walking he had to do with the poor man, it was sure to cause a bit of trouble on the way back to his childhood home. The rain had not been kind during the journey but there had been little to no problem getting the man back despite his condition.

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 _The Sitting Room, Spinner's End, Muggle World..._

Hermione let out a breath she had not known she had been holding when the front door opened and she found herself watching Severus enter with an injured man on his shoulders. She gasped when she noted the significant injury the man sustained. Snape moved quickly pulling the bloodied man over toward the fireplace and spell drying his clothes and body. He rushed down to what Hermione found to be his private potions lab and came back with another healing potion. He managed to help the ailing man drink it down despite his apparent unconsciousness and set about checking on him and the little girl.

"Any change?" asked Snape meeting Hermione's gaze for the first time.

"No." she replied. "She's been asleep for a while now."

Snape sighed and looked up at the stairs leading to the two bedrooms that made up the rest of the house.

"Get the girl something decent to wear...my mother's closet is still fully stocked...I...never go in there so..." he said without taking his eyes off the stairs. "I'll see to her father."

Hermione arched an eyebrow at this new information.

"How do you know he's her father?" she asked curious as to how he came to that conclusion.

"She has the apparent ability to project her thoughts." replied Snape in a seemingly exhausted tone. "She practically screams for him in her sleep."

The amber eyed witch nodded recalling that Snape did have the ability to read another's mind as well as block off access to his own with little to no effort. She could only imagine what the condition of these poor people had been doing to him. She pulled him close to her and pressed her soft pink lips into his pale ones.

"It was a wonderful thing that you did for these people today." she said softly. "I'm sure they will never forget that you saved their lives."

"Of that I have no doubt." replied Snape. "And even if they do attempt such an atrocity, I am sure you will remind them of it."

Hermione smiled briefly at her lover before turning her attention to assisting the poor sleeping girl. She had no idea how Severus knew these people were in danger but was awfully glad that he had intervened when he did, she knew for certain with the grade of injury they suffered they would have easily been left alone and forgotten in the darkness.

She disappeared up the stairs gently carrying the ten year old girl in her arms as she did. Severus turned his attention to the man who's injuries matched his father's from so very long ago. Perhaps he saw this as his chance to make amends to the long dead Snape patriarch, or perhaps he simply did not wish to ignore the suffering of another when he could so easily assist. Either way, Hermione would never known for sure and neither would the poor man he had brought in.


	76. Chapter 75:Echos Of The Past

**Chapter 75:** _ **Echos Of The Past**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"It's been awhile...Since I couldn't...Hold my head up high...And it's been awhile...Since I first saw you...And it's been awhile...Since I could stand...On my own two feet again...And it's been awhile...Since I could say...That I wasn't addicted...It's been awhile...Since I could say...I loved myself as well...And it's been awhile...Since I've gone and Fucked things up...Just like I always do...And it's been awhile...But all that shit...Seems to disappear...When I'm with you...And everything I can remember...As fucked up...As it all may seem to be...I know it's me...I cannot blame this on my father...He did the best he could for me..."}It's Been A While, Staind**_

 _The Sitting Room,Spinner's End,Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

 _ **S**_ taring into the red-orange glow of the flames spreading across the log of his fireplace, Severus Snape had been silently pondering the state of his two guests. Hermione had gone back to bed after ensuring that he would come with her but that had been close to three hours prior. It had taken a good deal of effort to tire the witch out on his part lest she come back for some more meddling. She might have been far from Hogwarts but she was still very much a Gryffindor. Snape had not known how to feel about entering his parents bedroom for the first time in his life. He supposed the earliest reason he kept himself away from the Merlin forsaken room was due to it being occupied by Tobias most often than not. His mother could always be found in the kitchen scrubbing the floor at a mind numbing pace. As a child, the noises that erupted from behind that closed door use to terrify him late into the night until he reached puberty and Lucius explained how a woman is supposed to sound when in the throes of passion.

Snape smiled almost bitterly as he thought back to being a foolish boy schooled in the most basic of social interactions by the stunning _Pureblood_ wizard with piercing gray eyes. The old sod would and could have gotten any witch to bend the knee to him via charm alone. With all the nostalgic thinking, the Potions Master decided he'd visit Lucius in the coming days, possibly do some catching up.

Coming up on what would have been daybreak had the thick gray clouds not blocked the sun's initial morning rays. The rain was still coming down and the chill of the morning was kept at bay via Snape's masterful working of the fireplace. His thoughts returned to the previous night when he entered his parents bedroom for a brief few minutes separating the bed he was most likely conceived in, via his magic and forming two fully covered twin beds and turned his attention to finishing his task and left the room as it was. He added a small freshening charm to take care of stale air of the place being closed up for so long and a cleaning charm given he had not known what sort of damage Tobias had done to the place while he was away.

He had placed the father in one of the beds carefully completing a magically assisted exchange of his bloodied and tattered clothes with his father's still intact pajamas still left over from when the brute's reign of terror dominated this household. Hermione had gotten the girl dressed and tucked firmly into bed. The terrible condition he found her in all but a mere night terror away. The wizard helped the man into the other bed along the opposite end of the room and left his guests to their rest and recovery.

Currently, The Potions Master had gone into the kitchen and put on a pot of tea. He had a couple of hours before those that remained asleep would awaken and join him, none the less he figured the inevitable conversation would go over well with tea and a few pastries. He smirked when he decided to apply his usual tricks to fill the house with some type of substance without having to do any of the actual cooking and with Hermione preoccupied, it was far easier to apply his Slytherin tact then it would have been if he had to explain his vary many means of getting things done.

Snape opened the window and carefully placed his mother's cake pan into the window sill. The rain had not effected his trick, he had learned to include the little detail of making the spell weather resistant given all the times he had gotten away with trying it.

 _"Dulcia onerariam."_ said Snape with a confident smirk.

In a matter of seconds, the empty cake pan had been filled with all kinds of bakery treats and stacked as if they had been prepared by the shop. Snape pulled the cake pan inside and closed the window. It was nice to know that somethings never really seemed to change. Once the rain died down there would be a story going on about missing cakes that would amuse him to no end.

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 _One Hour Later..._

Hermione once again found herself awakening alone in bed. She did her best to keep from being pessimistic about her lover's frequent need to be absent from bed once she opened her eyes and given his ever shifting mood swings, it was always a question of what his motives were once he began a task or a project. This morning however, she had smelled the tell tale signs of someone making tea and the heat from the fire was perfect. She climbed out of bed summoning her clothes from the previous night and getting dressed. One cleansing charm and a bathrobe later...and she was making her way down the stairs.

The amber eyed witch had been pleased to see Severus in the sitting room with a cup of freshly brewed tea and what looked to be a piece of cake on a saucer beside him. He smirked as she got closer her eyes not at all leaving him as he continued to enjoy his breakfast so to speak.

"Severus when did you go to the bakery?" she asked.

"I didn't." he replied. "It was more of delivery on contact."

Hermione had not known what that meant and took a seat of the sofa as Snape lazily enchanted a tea cup and saucer to be sent her way.

"Are you sure you want to be doing magic with our guests sleeping upstairs?" she asked.

Snape simply smiled and continued with his effortless magical show.

The concerned witch was treated to fresh pastries and a cup of tea befitting his own in the manner she preferred, a fairly easy thing to accomplish given she always took her tea with honey. It didn't take the witch long to enjoy the fruits of his labor well the fruits of someone else's labor but he'd never willingly tell her how he had gotten them without leaving the house.

The sound of the rain had been rather comforting as Snape turned his attention back to the fire.

"How long do you think they'll be asleep?" asked Hermione taking a bit of what appeared to be a perfectly cut white square with yellow spongy bread in the center.

"Not long." replied Snape sipping the remainder of his tea.

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 _The Snape's Bedroom, Spinner's End, Muggle World..._

As the two lovers enjoyed the pastries and tea in the warmth of the sitting room, The ten year old girl had stirred. Her brown eyes focused on the blue flower printed wall paper that lined the old walls and the cold comfort of the quilts that had been so obviously hand stitched as they draped over her small malnourished body. She had enjoyed the warmth as well as the comfort the quilt provided and wondered absently how she could have managed to find one given the last thing she recalled was the presence of a rather large black cat.

Curiosity had won over exhaustion and comfort respectively and the ten year old girl found herself climbing from the warmth of the strange bed and her bare-feet came into contact with the morning chilled floor almost making her wish she had stayed beneath the rather colorful quilt. As her eyes focused on the strangely decorated room, it seemed to be stuck in a rather outdated time period but it seemed safe and that was most important.

The raven haired girl's eyes continued to scan the room until she had been startled by the sound of snoring coming from the bed along the far wall. At first glance she figured that she was in some sort of makeshift hospital, but she recognized the mass of beneath the other set of quilts and pillows. A small smile filed across her face as she raced over toward the sleeping man taking note of the non tattered clothes she had been dressed in.

"What's happened to my clothes?" she asked out loud as she reached the sleeping man's side.

The man continued to snore obviously at peace with his new found comfort.

"Father." said the ten year old in a fairly tentative tone.

The man shifted some in his sleep and she could see his scruffy beard for the first time in a long time. He had been just as clean and well taken care of as she had been, a good deal of the aches and pains that kept him awake most nights were long gone.

"Father wake up." she whispered unsure of what had become of them.

After shifting in his sleep once more, the sleeping man's eyes finally opened and he placed a hand on the top of his daughter's head.

"Sweetheart, give me a few more minutes...go ask your mother." he said clearly still drowsy from sleep.

The girl smiled a sad little smile as she decided to let her father have this dream if this was what this had been, a dream where they had not lost their flat in London and ended up in the forgotten part of England by chance. A place where her mother had not died of a sickness no one could diagnose and her father had not spent all their savings on medical bills. She found herself wanting to maintain the sweetness of this illusion. As she stood in the center of the strange room allowing her father to rest, she was brought back to reality with the sudden realization that her stomach had been rumbling.

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 _The Sitting Room, Spinner's End, Muggle World..._

Hermione had been enjoying the remainder of her tea when she noticed that the little girl had crept from upstairs and had been watching them. Snape had known all too well that the girl had been awake and that her inquisitive eyes had been on him the moment he had finished serving Hermione her tea. She marveled at the magical display he had put on but it had not been sorely for Hermione's benefit. He had known the girl had been suppressing a good deal of magical energy, possibly due to the stigma of being magically inclined in the muggle world.

He wished to speak to her on the subject of her suppression but felt his young lover would be better equipped to explain it to her given her capacity for compassion as it was well noted that he had little patience for children, it was one of the reasons for his self imposed retirement from teaching but this girl had been of great interest to him yet he couldn't place why that was.

Snape got to his feet and made his way into the kitchen, his obsidian eyes meeting that of Hermione's amber gaze briefly.

"Would you care for some more tea?" he asked in a tone that had been as casual as he could manage.

"More tea would be lovely, thank you." she replied in a pleasant tone.

Once Snape had disappeared into the kitchen, the ten year old girl made her way down the stairs. She had not seen the smirk on the face of the Potions Master as he entered the small room at the heart of the household. It had been his experience that children often found him intimidating since his days at Hogwarts, he put very little effort into making them tremble but tremble they did.

His efforts from his time as Potions Professor had been such to maintain a line of respect given his own youthful appearance in comparison to the other Professors. Hermione had known this all too well and agreed that if the girl was to speak to anyone she'd be the much preferred candidate. As much as she loved Severus, he still had the capacity to frighten even her every once in a while.

"Hello." said Hermione in a polite tone.

"H-Hi." replied the ten year old girl with raven hair.

Her bruises were gone and she had seemed a little more at ease.

"I bet you're in need of a good breakfast." said the amber eyed witch continuing to make conversation.

"W-Well...I..." began the girl nervously.

"It's alright." said Hermione with an undeniable warmth to her smile. "We've got plenty...you could even take a few up for your father if you'd like."

The girl tentatively reached out as if she had been expecting this to be some sort of trick and grabbed one of the squares with chocolate over the top. The entire square had been chocolate with fudge filling and she seemed rather pleased that she had gotten it. When Hermione did nothing to stop or hurt her for indulging her impulse, she began to relax a bit further.

"What's your name?" asked the amber eyed witch still with a warmth that the girl couldn't help but feel safe with her. "My name's Hermione, Hermione Granger."

The little girl seemed to debate wither or not that had been a real name before replying.

"I-I'm Eileen." she replied in a soft and quiet tone. "Eileen Hillar."

At the mention of the girl's first name Hermione immediately had a thought of Severus and why saving this particular girl had meant so much to him the previous night despite the weather and the potential dangers that had accompanied saving her. He found her father in a terrible condition and managed to keep him alive but before it turned tragic.

"Well, Eileen...welcome to the Snape household." said the witch sitting on the sofa.

"T-Thank you." replied the raven haired girl. "I-I wasn't sure that you were...very pleasant."

"I'm quite pleasant." replied Hermione. "Severus however is another matter."

"Severus?" asked Eileen with an inquisitive expression filed across her small face. "Is that the name of your cat?"

Hermione found herself chuckling as she briefly recalled Snape in his animagus form.

"Severus is a very dear friend of mine." she said putting her relationship with her former Professor into delicate terms for such a young girl. "He went into the kitchen for a bit more tea, I'm sure he'd like to meet you given all the trouble he went through to save you last night."

Eileen seemed to have been caught off guard by her mention of this.

"H-He saved me?" she said with her dark brown eyes falling on the kitchen door. "S-So it wasn't a dream?"

"No." replied Hermione sensing the girl's apparent sadness. "I'm afraid it was very real and your father wasn't in good shape when Severus brought him in."

"H-He's all better now." said Eileen looking back at Hermione. "I-I didn't see anything wrong with him when I woke up this morning."

"Good then Severus' attempts to save his life were effective." said the amber eyed witch pleased.

It was at this moment that Snape made his way out of the kitchen bringing with him another round of tea and pastries. He briefly made eye contact with Eileen whom found it strange that his eyes resembled that of the rather large black cat she had seen before she lost consciousness. She froze as Snape turned his gaze on Hermione.

"Well, it seems one of our guests has awakened." he said.

"Severus this is Eileen." said Hermione unsure how he was going to take the new information about the ten year old before them.

He seemed to tense up at the mention of his mother's name.

"I beg your pardon." he said unsure he heard right.

"M-My name's Eileen." said the girl at last finding her voice. "Eileen Hillar."

Snape looked over the girl for a few moments before sitting back in his usual armchair in front of the fireplace.

"Of course it is." he muttered annoyed by the twist of fate that seemed to enjoy making a mockery of his miserable life.

"Eileen this is Severus." said Hermione in a bid to make conversation. "He's a bit moody most of the time but he's a good man."

Snape sat back in the chair letting his obsidian eyes meet the terrified brown gaze of the girl before him.

"Well, Eileen...welcome to Spinner's End." he said softly. "Should I take a guess as to what your father's name is or am I to be surprised?"

The raven haired girl arched an eyebrow at him confused about his choice of words. She didn't see what her or her father's name had to do with the man's rather dark mood.

"Severus." said the amber eyed witch on the sofa beside him. "Why don't you just wait for him to join us."

"My father's name is Tobias." said Eileen not taking her eyes off Snape. "Tobias Hillar."

She seemed determined to know why the man in black had suddenly become uncomfortable.

"Of course it is." replied Snape in a low biting tone.

Hermione sighed.

There seemed to be no changing the wizard as far as social skills were concerned.

"Severus." she said annoyed. "Don't frighten the poor girl, she just woke up for Merlin's sake."

Snape rolled his eyes in clear display of his own annoyance.

"His father's name was Tobias as well." said Hermione in an attempt to smooth over the situation.

The Potions Master sat down in his arm chair. His obsidian eyes flickering over the young girl with raven hair not so unlike his own. It became clear to him now that there was much more to this girl that met the eye and he wasn't sure he knew where to begin in terms of discovering her secrets, of course there was the fact that he wasn't so sure he wished to. For now he had been contented to just enjoy his tea in the vast comfortable silence that had befallen them all for the time being.


	77. Chapter 76:Of Cowardice and Men

**Chapter 76:** _ **Of Cowardice and Men**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...sorry for the delays, had a job interview to attend...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Sitting Room,Spinner's End,Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

 _ **T**_ obias Hillar had awakened from his peaceful slumber not sure of how he had gotten to a place of warmth and comfort given his last known memory had been that of a man beaten and bloodied by his assailants as he hid with his ten year old daughter within the abandoned confines of a dilapidated brick house during a random journey into an seemingly abandoned town. The rain had driven them into hiding as well as the need for rest. They hunkered down in an abandoned house to await the rain's end only to find themselves attacked by looters and other vagabonds searching for shelter from the rain. Much to their shock, these vagabonds were drug fueled and enraged. It wasn't long before they set their sights on Eileen who's frightened nature enabled her suppressed magical inclination to make itself known. Seeing that she had been a witch, the drug fueled vagabonds attempted to assault her only for Tobias to take the beating for his daughter and enable her escape.

It was to be first and last act he had done in quite some time that had been the result of a father loving his daughter. Of course it had not turned out quite like he planned. The last thing he recalled was instructing his ten year old daughter to run before succumbing to the beating that was bestowed upon him by his sinister attackers.

At the present moment, he had not understood why he had been laying in comfort when he was very sure he should have been dead given what he had to endure at the hands of those drug fueled monsters. He was sure he could hear Eileen's voice at one point believing it to have been the result of a pleasant dream where his beloved wife had not passed away and his life had not spiraled into chaos.

Opening his eyes, Tobias Hillar noted the strangely out of date decor of his current bedroom. He sat up lead mostly by curiosity as he examined that the quilt had been real as was the warmth and comfort it provided during his slumber. The aches and pains of his old life had been long gone, even the ones he had kept to himself about given that he had not been to the doctors office in what seemed like ages.

Once he sat up, Tobias looked around the room noting almost immediately that the second bed that had been in the room had been occupied by his daughter in his dream but there was not a single trace of her remained. Puzzled beyond belief, he got to his feet instantly noting the change of clothing and made his way over toward the door to the bedroom.

He had been unsure of his steps as he moved about the old house listening to the floor boards creak and the walls settle. Fear, had been at the forefront of his mind given that he had heard his daughter's voice but had not seen for himself if she had truly survived their ordeal.

The troubled father heard voices at the end of the narrow hall as he continued to take the stairs down into what appeared to be a sitting room although the rows of shelves lined with books had been off putting at first glance. After quelling the fear induced beating of his heart, Tobias Hillar briefly registered the sound of his daughter's voice.

It had not been lost on him that she had been chatting and giggling like a contented child. There had not been much room for laughter in her life after the death of her mother. There had not been much room for being a child much either given the way everything seemed to crumble around them.

As he reached the bottom of the staircase, he noticed his daughter, all clean and pleasant looking as she sat on a threadbare sofa beside a plain looking young woman with bushy brown hair. The young woman's amber eyes carried warmth as she shared a laugh or two with Eileen. The two of them seemed a good deal friendly.

For a moment a feeling of relief washed over him as he noted his daughter's happiness. Of course all that changed the second he heard a rather deep baritone drawl coming from what had been the armchair in front of the fireplace near the sofa. He could see the out line of the man's coat ebony in color with long white sleeves protruding from the cuffs of his sleeves which curiously ended at the base of his palm rather than his wrist like any other man's.

Startled by the sudden inclination that another male had been present, Tobias Hillar's protective streak reared it's ugly head. He immediately barged in on the pleasant little sitting narrowing his dark eyes at the man in black attire whom had been calmly sitting in his armchair.

"Ellie get over here." ordered Tobias. "What are you doing getting cozy with these people...you don't even know them."

Eileen looked at her father with a shocked expression given all that Snape and Hermione had done for them.

"Father..." began the suddenly nervous ten year old girl.

"It took you long enough." said Snape his baritone voice rumbling through the shocked silence that filled the sitting room.

His words seemed to catch Tobias Hillar off guard. The ten year old girl's father's brown eyes met that of the former Potions Professor's and in an instant Snape was treated to a barrage of memories that he could hardly keep pace with.

Finishing off the rest of his tea, Snape placed the cup and saucer on the small end table beside him. Once he was finished he turned his attention to Hermione.

"I would like for you to take Eileen and explain to her everything she needs to know about Hogwarts." he said in his usual Potions Professor tone.

After years of doing as she was told when faced with that tone of his voice, Hermione immediately proceed to lead Eileen whom had been increasingly nervous about disobeying her father's orders.

"You can go child." Snape assured her. "Your...father and I have a few things to discuss."

Tobias had wanted to argue back but the serious expression on Snape's face told him that it would be most unwise to attempt such a thing. When both Hermione and Eileen disappeared up the stairs The Potions Master quickly cast a silencing charm before whirling on the muggle man that stood before him.

Obsidian eyes seemed to peer into the very soul of the confused muggle man feeling his outrage ebb away until fear and uncertainty were all that remained. The small pulses of someone or something invading his mind had been felt and purposely so as Snape had every intention on letting it be known that he possessed such a feared ability.

{ _Swirling images of white smoke filled Snape's view, it was common when dealing with the crowded minds of muggles like Tobias Hillar. Their worst fears and haunting memories at the forefront of their minds and driving their impulsive need to drown themselves in drink in a bid to ease the pain when all their actions do is increase the strength of these horrid memories. The Potions Master had known this all too well given his own history but his memories were clouded in black smoke, fitting given his former Death Eater status._

 _The images of a woman, on the cusp of middle age with vibrant black eyes and an increasingly pale pallor, not from genetics as was the case with Snape but from an misdiagnosed illness. Snape pondered briefly if it had been genetic via her magical lineage given that everything he had known identified this woman as a witch._

 _He could see the panic and absolute helplessness in the muggle whom clearly had no idea that his wife was a witch nor did he know that his daughter was starting to show signs of her magic manifesting. Being a wizard as well as a former professor, Snape could see it almost as clear as day where the muggle's inexperienced and grief wracked mind could hardly make sense of it._

 _On more than one occasion, Tobias turned to the bottle as a way to cope with his impending loss of his wife. The responsibility of raising their only daughter alone had been a daunting task to say the least for the slowly crumbling man._

 _The inevitable occurred, Tobias' wife had passed away leaving him the sole guardian of their daughter. The bills from her medical care had been numerous given no results were found and she had died any way. What was left of their money had gone to burying her leaving nothing for Tobias and his daughter to survive post his wife's loss._

 _Grief_ _stricken, Tobias Hillar had lost his job and fell into despair increasing his tendency to drink as more debt and chaos erupted in his life. As previously noted, Eileen started displaying magical aptitude causing a good deal of shock and worry to befall the uninformed man._

 _Losing their home and having to go on the run due to his daughter's magical ability raising questions, Tobias continued to drink himself into conditions that rivaled Snape's own father often bursting with anger and resentment, he would lash out at his child, beginning with a push or shove and escalating to slapping or swatting her._

 _He began to believe with his drink poisoned mind that Eileen had been the cause of her mother's unfortunate passing. Feeling himself become enraged, Snape pulled out of the stupid muggle man's mind knowing all too well what Eileen had to endure at the hands of this ignorant muggle who had proven not just in name that he wasn't that far from being as brutish as his own father. }_

Snape growled as he focused his attention on the trembling muggle before him.

"Coward." said the Potions Master in absolute disgust.

Tobias looked at him confused.

"How dare you blame your daughter for what was obviously something she had nothing to do with?" hissed the ebony clad wizard folding his arms across his chest like he had so many times before when dealing with someone he did not approve of. "You wife died of a magical sickness related to her genetics, your daughter was an innocent that you held responsible and punished due to your own folly."

"H-How could...?" stammered the now frightened muggle.

"How could I know that?" mocked Snape not at all leaving out his apparent disgust for this man. "It's quite simple really...your daughter is not the only magical inclined individual in this world Mr. Hillar."

Snape waved his hand in a faster than light motion snuffing out the flames of the fireplace. Tobias' sense of fear increased tenfold, as it should given the murderous look in the former Potions Professor's eyes.

"I-I..." began the disturbed muggle.

"You...Mr. Hillar are a coward." said Snape in an icy tone. "You are decisively weak and utterly foolish to have squandered such a gift that is your daughter for the sake of your muggle pride."

"I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" shouted Tobias in the wake of Snape exposing all of his inner flaws. "I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HER HAVING MAGIC, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT WAS KILLING MY POOR LIZZY...HOW WAS I SUPPOSE TO RAISE A CHILD AFTER ALL OF THAT!"

The emotionally battered man fell to his knees as tears streamed down his cheeks. It had not been his intention to harm Eileen. He had loved her since the day she was born and continued to do so now. The weight of responsibility in the wake of his failures had gotten the best of him and he found himself becoming someone even he did not recognize.

Snape sighed but had not let go of the disgust he felt for the weak muggle before him.

"You are selfish and pathetic." said the ebony clad wizard glaring down at the broken man.

"I...I know." replied Tobias offering no argument. "I...I know...but...Ellie needs me...and...I need her."

The newly annoyed Potions Master rolled his eyes at the sickening sentiment the now broken man before him displayed.

"As it so happens, Mr. Hillar...I can assist you." he said not wishing to endure another moment of the man's blubbering.

The now hopeful sobbing man looked up into the harsh obsidian gaze of his apparent judge her on earth, the ebony attire as intimidating to him, a full grown man as it had been to any child that attended Hogwarts. Snape stood towering over this sobbing muggle who's eyes viewed him as a messenger of death given his pale pallor and harsh expression.

"H-How?" asked Tobias wishing that there could be some way to make amends and do right by his ten year old daughter.

"First, you are to cease any and all acts of violence toward that child effective immediately." said The Potions Master.

"What ever you say." said Tobias sensing a bit more hope with the aid of this rather strange individual.

"Next, You are to undergo a complete course on magical education from either myself or the lovely young witch you saw before sitting there on the sofa." continued. Snape. "Your daughter is a witch and as such there are certain things a muggle such as yourself should know to ensure her development is not further impeded."

"A...a witch?" said the stammering muggle in disbelief. "So many people had told me that...but I..."

"I am assuming your wife was a member of the wizarding community and did not divulge this bit of information to you." said Snape in an emotionless tone. "It matters little, your daughter is going to receive a magical education and she will be given the choice of which community she shall belong to."

"C-Community?" said the muggle amazed. "There's a whole community of you people?"

"Try and keep up Mr. Hillar, your daughter's magical education is no longer your concern." said Snape. "What is your concern will be her upbringing here in the muggle world."

"R-Right." said the muggle in compliance.

"I will give you instructions some time later and you are to follow everything I say down to the letter." said Snape with a stern expression that he would use on unruly students during Potions Class. "Do I make myself clear?"

"I-I understand." replied Tobias obediently. "Whatever you say...Mr..."

"Snape." hissed the Former Potions Professor. "My name is Severus Snape, and you will address me via my surname as you are unworthy to address me as anything more."

Tobias nodded in understanding.

Once the conversation had concluded, Snape went back to his armchair and Tobias sat in a newly conjured chair on the other side of the room. Hermione and Eileen had come down from the bedroom laughing and speaking of her exploits at Hogwarts with her former friends. The young witch's eyes lit up at the possibility of attending such a magical place with grand adventures awaiting her.

"So...when I turn eleven a letter will show up?" she asked with an inquisitive expression on her face.

"Of course." replied Hermione with a smile. "But I got mine at the age of twelve...I suppose I was an extraordinary case."

"That you were...Miss Granger." said Snape with a smirk. "And still seem to be."

Hermione smiled at his compliment and made her way over toward the sofa with Eileen. Tobias tried his best to be happy for his daughter knowing all that Snape had told him, he would be saying good-bye to her fairly soon.

"I-I hope you have fun there Ellie." he said nervously.

His ten year old daughter froze as she registered her father's voice for the first time since she returned down the stairs. Given how upset he seemed to be with her before hand, she appeared rather cautious.

Recognizing why she had suddenly tensed, Tobias held up his hands.

"Ellie...I apologize...Mr. Snape and I have had a talk." he explained. "I know all about your magical abilities and I...I don't disapprove."

The girl looked over at the Potions Master meeting his direct gaze and offered him a small smile. Snape returned her smile as she rushed over to her father and hugged him.

"Well it seems you two have a lot to discuss." said the ebony clad wizard getting to his feet. "I have some work to attend to...I suppose I shall see you all for dinner."

"Yes." said Eileen with that same smile as before.

"We'll be here." added Tobias meeting Snape's gaze for the first time although he still cowered a bit beneath it's intensity.

"Do you need me to join you?" asked Hermione curious as to what he meant by having some work to do.

"Not this time." replied Snape with a focused expression on his face. "It's personal so to speak."

Hermione nodded understanding that he needed time for himself for a while.

"Alright." she said evenly. "But if you need me, I'll be working on how to get us a decent dinner."

Snape nodded and turned his attention to the small door beneath the stairs leading to what Hermione believed to be his potions lab. Without a word, The Potions Master disappeared through the door and down the lengthy number of steps into the darkness beyond their eyesight.

Tobias and Eileen had a very deep and honest discussion about where their lives were headed. The father explained his mistakes to his daughter and apologized for them. The ten year old girl, not yet jaded by her brief bout with chaos in her life forgave him and they made the decision to begin again.

For the time being, all seemed well at The Snape residence and it had been all too clear that change was afoot.


	78. Chapter 77:Advocation Of Restoration

**Chapter 77:** _ **Advocation Of Restoration**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Take me down to the river bend...Take me down to the fighting end...Wash the poison from off my skin...Show me how to be whole again...Fly me up on a silver wing...Past the black where the sirens sing...Warm me up in a nova's glow...And drop me down to the dream below...'Cause I'm only a crack in this castle of glass...Hardly anything there for you to see...For you to see...Bring me home in a blinding dream...Through the secrets that I have seen...Wash the sorrow from off my skin...Show me how to be whole again..."}Castle Of Glass, Linkin Park**_

 _The Black Water River,Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

 _ **F**_ lying in the dead of night, Severus Snape zipped passed the rows of dilapidated brick houses that had not been unlike his own, his obsidian eyes focused as he clutched what appeared to be a phial containing a potion that was as blue and vibrant as the waters of the geographical tropics. Snape landed on the bank of the river amid the rubbish and fowl smelling stench of death and decay. This did nothing to the wizard, as he had grown use to such conditions given his life here and imprisonment in Azkaban. Standing on the sunken bank amid the black waters of the river and it's immersive poison, Snape unbuttoned his frock coat. One by one Severus Snape stripped down his buttons and tossed the coat onto the water-less bank of the river. He did the same with his long sleeve white dress shirt and tossed it beside his coat. He pulled off his black dragon hide boots and tossed them toward the coat and shirt. The only remaining article of clothing had been his trousers and he kept them on if only to show a sign of modesty. The thick black sky that loomed above him had been dotted with stars giving off the rather impressive appeal of black velvet decorated with glittering diamonds. The pale light of the moon glistened like a rather large diamond in it's own right against the darkened sky and Snape smiled like that of a child filled with wonder as he turned his attention back to the black tar like substance that had formerly been river water.

It still amazed him that Remus Lupin could fear something so beautiful, given his curse of lycanthropy.

The Potions Master made his way through the black waters of the river as he noted the cold but it did little to deter him. His mind was focused and his pale hand gripped the potion he had traveled all this way carrying.

Snape ignored the rubbish digging into his bare feet as he walked along the river bed feeling the harsh smelling water beat against his exposed pale skin and causing irritation to his already healed scars. He smiled noting in his own intellectual capacity that he had often fantasized about swimming in this very water. He had been put off by it's harsh conditions and thus avoided it, it seemed rather symbolic to him that he had ended up becoming a good deal like the murky black waters that everyone avoided due to the potential dangers.

In a way, Hermione Granger had been as he was now, the only soul brave or foolish enough to delve into the water's murky depths to see what others could not. the image of the bushy haired know it all continued to add to his sense of satisfaction as Snape uncorked the potion and tipped it over allowing the fresh tropical blue liquid to fall from the phial and into the murky black water beside him.

Slowly and amazingly, the murky black water came into contact with the tropical blue potion and bubbled around The Potions Master. Snape took a deep breath and dived into the black water's murky depths as he imagined he would in his boyhood. He didn't stay submerged long before returning to the surface and noting the rapid changes of the black water into the same tropical blue of the potion. All the harsh chemicals and further toxins had been removed and only pure blue water remained.

The newly restored river flowed into the pond that Snape frequented as a child with Lily Evans and into the surrounding grasses bringing them to life as they rapidly shifted from their brown and ash colored state into a lush and vibrant green color. Snape took another dive into the purified water and it seemed to rejuvenate him as he emerged with it dripping off his pale flesh still marred by scars from his past but they had little to no effect any more.

He climbed out of the water and retrieved his attire having completed what he set out to do. The river that ran through Cokeworth had been restored but Snape was far from finished with what he had in mind for this place.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 _The Old Mill, Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

The dust and cobwebs alone could have choked a lesser man to death as Snape explored the old rundown mill where his father had once worked. The place smelled of old wood and broken dreams, not so unlike his home at Spinner's End when he returned after being absent for so many years. With a flick of his wand, Severus Snape began to make the old new again restoring the old place to it's former glory and reinforcing what needed to be reinforced given the passage of time. It amazed him to see the place his father labored during the early days of his marriage to Eileen Prince. There was hope and prosperity in this place long forgotten when the weight of misfortune and responsibility came crashing down on those who had not been prepared for it's impact.

Snape fired up the old textile machines causing them to do their work without the need of employed hands and prepped the offices and paperwork needed to get the place up and running again. After restoring the river and reactivating the old mill he had bigger plans for Cokeworth's future. The windmill started rotating and each turn seemed to propel the rancid stench that blanketed Cokeworth for a great many year seemed to have lifted. The smog and decay seemed to ebb away as Snape continued his work cloaked by the night sky in a bid to hid his magic at work.

On the newly crafted desk had been files detailing the mills progress since it's reopening and the transference of it's ownership to a man whom had just moved into town whom had a good deal of capital to invest in such a fledgling business. Papers were sent out to various members of the struggling community in a bid to offer employment.

Slytherin tact was always effective here in the muggle world wither they knew it or not.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 _Spinner's End, Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

The ebony dragon hide boots of Severus Snape landed on the uneven cobblestone streets of Cokeworth's premiere street. Looking out over the numerous rows of dilapidated brick houses at all the pain and sorrow that seemed to cloud this place, The Potions Master raised his wand and offered up another spell of his own making, with it he began to restore and strengthen the houses one by one getting them in pristine condition for those that sought a home and those that have remained even during the years of decay.

He added a few shops he had been fond of as a boy in other towns and gave them the same nameless owner but provided a good deal of goods and services for the people here in his formerly weathered home. More employment would be obtained given the adjustments he had made to the place with the reopened Mill and the shops.

Snape shook his head noting that Tobias had wished for him or Eileen to have done something along these lines for him when he was alive, of course back then Severus was forbidden to do magic among muggles and Eileen had given up her wand. The arrogant brute had no way of knowing the rules of magical society and it was through his ignorance that he accused them of being the cause of his financial decline.

Not so unlike Mr. Hillar had accused such things of his own young daughter.

The Potions Master reentered his family home careful not to wake Hermione or their guests.

He lied a stack of paperwork on the end table that he'd go over with Tobias Hillar in detail once the morning had come. For now he simply desired a bit of rest after his exhausting adventure in the middle of the night. He didn't doubt that there would be a word or two in the morning when families that went to bed hungry and poor awoke with food in their kitchens and hope in their futures for the first time in years. In all honesty he had not been looking forward to the public outcry of gratitude but lucky for him, there was a way to explain all of the strange happenings that he invoked during the night and they would fall squarely on the shoulders of a certain muggle in need of repentance.


	79. Chapter 78:The Redeeming Kind

**Chapter 78:** _ **The Redeeming Kind**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's Residence,Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

 _ **M**_ orning brought with it a kind of pandemonium unheard of in the forgotten muggle town of Cokeworth, England. Everywhere people from all over the country had migrated to the ill known town for a look at it's strangely pure waters and glistening countryside. The old mill had been up and running with a new owner seeking able bodied and willing workers for employment. Severus Snape had been enjoying the warmth of the slender witch he had found himself madly in love with ever since she decided to meddle in his life following the final battle of Hogwarts. The noise from all the celebrating people that filled the streets despite the chilly morning air. To them it had been as if Cokeworth had fallen under a deadening curse and it had been lifted overnight. Instead of hungry bellies and misery, there was hope and wonder as the people flocked to the river noting it's obviously changed texture and the almost other worldly glow of purity beneath the surface of the waters.

The Potions Master had been jolted from his rather pleasant slumber with his witch's slender body wrapped around him as if to keep him bound to their bed. He had forgotten how possessive she could get if he remained out of bed too long, no doubt reflecting on his prior history of leaving her abruptly. The scent of jasmine rose from her notoriously bushy brown hair and brushed up against his infamously large nose. He had not wanted to leave her warmth, finding a comfort in her obsessively smothering affection to be enduring so to speak given his life had been seriously lacking said affection before her stubbornness and his imprisonment bound libido brought about this change.

The infernal knocking persisted and Hermione's amber eyes opened. She scrambled out of bed and rushed down the stairs pulling and tugging on her housecoat as she reached the front door. Tobias and Eileen Hillar had been asleep as far as she could tell and she knew Severus would have a thing or two to say about being awakened at such an indecent she had not known what hour the Potions Master had returned once he stepped out to take a walk to clear his head, she figured he had been out quite late and needed the sleep.

Hermione took a breath as she opened the front door finding herself greeted by the sight of a pleasantly smiling woman with a positive glow about her.

"Good morning." she said politely. "I have suddenly been hit with the inspiration to let everyone in the neighborhood know something's happened with the old river, they say it has healing properties one man even drove his wheel chair into it and was able to walk and that's not all...the sod seems to have lost a couple of years in age as well."

Hermione contemplated this woman's story and politely nodded. She had recalled Severus going out that night but she had not expected to hear strange stories like this. As the witch stood on the steps, she noticed the ground had been a vibrant green and the uneven streets that had been once in need of great repair had been fixed. When the ecstatic woman left for the river, the entire town full of people and some passers by had been out looking about the town and it's various new repairs.

Almost immediately, the pondering witch knew whom had been responsible. Rumors that the old mill had a new owner and employment had been skyrocketing in this once forgotten part of the country hit her ears and she came to a single conclusion.

"Severus." she said more to herself due to no one hearing her.

The house robe clad witch went back into the house noting that every house including the one she had been sleeping in had been repaired and in pristine condition.

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 _Snape's Bedroom, Spinner's End, Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

Having fallen back to sleep, Severus Snape was stirred from his slumber due to an already awakened Hermione Granger staring at him with an Inquisition expression on her face. At first he had imagined she had figured out his apparent aptitude with siphoning snacks from the bakery a town over but she seemed to have real confusion on her face when he focused his vision.

"Morning." he said with a seemingly pleasant smile, which always indicated that he had been up to some form of mischief.

Hermione had known too well that Severus had been up to something since his talk with Eileen's father. She folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her amber eyes at him in a manner befitting Minerva McGonagall when faced with his mischievous antics.

"Well Severus Snape, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked not taking her eyes off him.

The Potions Master had not known what it was she sought from him in terms of admission of guilt and as such he played it cool, given his natural Slytherin tact.

"Am I suppose to pick your mind to determine what you are speaking of?" he asked casually.

"You know very well what I am speaking of Severus, there's a good deal of people flooding the streets to a seemingly restored town that just so happened to have been the equivalent of a forgotten dung heap prior to your getting into this bed last night." said Hermione studying him.

"I don't know what you are talking about." replied the former Potions Professor.

Hermione shook her head.

 _Typical Slytherin tact: deny, deny, deny._

"For your information Slytherin git, I approve of the attempt to make this town better for those who live her." she said. "I just believe your intent went a bit over board given the river now has restoration properties."

Snape's eyes widened.

He had not intended for the river to be capable of that, only that the lands be restored given all they had endured in terms of pollution. The witch before him studied him briefly for a few moments before her amber eyes widened.

"I'd say it worked on you just as well." she said noting his slightly youthful appearance. "I always wondered what you would look like given your true age."

Snape rolled his eyes noting all too well that years seemed to have been shaved off him and that he was filled with a good deal more energy then he had previously given all the weight of his torment years prior.

"Sod it." he muttered accepting his now obvious involvement was known to the witch.

Hermione burst into a fit of giggles.

Not to be outdone, Snape wrapped his arms around the witch and pulled her down onto him showering her in passionate kisses. The two magically inclined individuals began rolling about in his magically enhanced childhood bed. Snape continued to kiss the beautiful young witch whom had changed his life so much.

"I have some business to conclude, once it is finished...I would welcome the idea of returning home." he said with his obsidian eyes meeting her inquisitive amber ones.

She nodded unsure what to say and not at all wishing to press him further given the state of his progress being far beyond what she and Dr. Hartley imagined when they arrived here.

"Whenever you're ready." she replied.

Snape kissed her once more still amazed how such an extraordinary young witch had taken the time to give him his life back when so many others were vying to take it away. She had not wavered even when they turned their spiteful condemnation onto her.

"Thank you." said Snape still meeting her gaze. "I know I will never be able to repay what you've done for me..."

Hermione put a finger to his pale lips and smiled.

"Severus, I didn't do this for payment." she said softly. "But I must say I have enjoyed the well earned benefits from my investment."

Snape smirked knowing all to well that he had enjoyed the perks of their relationship as well.

Sharing one last passion filled kiss, He reluctantly climbed off the witch knowing all too well that he had other business to attend to and it would not do for his already abrasive personality to be provoked any further than it needed to be given whom he would be dealing with.

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 _The Sitting Room, Spinner's End, Cokeworth England, Muggle World..._

Tobias Hillar looked over the parchments Severus Snape had provided for him. The ebony clad wizard had already signed them and he was simply adding his own signature. When Snape first approached him with a way to care for his daughter and still have a home no matter what befell him the muggle man was more than thrilled by the implication of peace in the dark wizard's plan. Looking over the parchment once more. He had been at a loss for words as he continued to add his name to the contracts.

"I-I suppose that's it." said Tobias handing them back to Snape whom had given them a quick once over to ensure everything was signed.

"Indeed it is." replied Snape apparently pleased with the outcome of this meeting. "I trust that there won't be a problem."

"I can handle it." said the muggle meeting Snape's eyes and for the first time not feeling the contempt he once felt from the dark wizard.

He supposed it meant that Snape was tolerating him at the very least.

"You'd better." replied the ebony clad Potions Master. "Eileen is not be late for her lessons am I understood?"

"Yes." replied the muggle the implication in Snape's tone had not been lost on him.

Without a word, Snape vanished the parchments and presented Tobias Snape with the keys to Spinner's End and those of the newly restored Mill.

"If anyone should ask you how you came to invest in this town?" asked Snape with an arched eyebrow as he glared at Tobias.

"I am to say that a silent partner took an interest in the town and myself which enabled me to maintain such financial success." replied the muggle man dutifully.

"Good." replied The ebony clad Potions Master. "Ensure that they believe it."

"What if they want to know whom my silent partner is?" asked Tobias.

Snape's obsidian eyes flickered for a moment with annoyance.

"It is called a silent partner for a reason is it not?" he asked. "I shall contact you and I will monitor your progress."

The muggle nodded.

This was the biggest chance anyone had ever given him and it was worth the risk of working with a dark wizard like Snape if it meant being able to once more take care of his daughter. The Potions Master had known all too well the need to redeem oneself in the wake of another's approval. He had no doubts that Tobias Hillar would do what was needed to stay in his daughter's life.

With his business thus far concluded, Snape was ready to return to the flat he shared with Hermione. He apparated from Spinner's End for the time being knowing the place would be better off in the capable muggle and young aspiring witch's hands.

Silently, he wished Tobias and Eileen all the luck and happiness that neither he nor his own parents had in this place.


	80. Chapter 79:The Relatively Mundane

**Chapter 79:** _ **The Relatively**_ ** _Mundane_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...Been out of the swing of things for a while, sorry for the delays work schedule has been insane this week...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Sitting Room,Cozy Flat, Unknown World..._

 _ **S**_ light rain had been beating against the window pane as Hermione ventured into her lovely decorated sitting room. The color scheme had been according to her own taste as Snape wanted virtually no part in it aside from the various lined shelves of books. He painted and built them all surprising his young lover with his abilities in muggle wood working. He had been keen to inform her that Dr. Hartley had suggested it in a bid to get his mind focused on something other than drinking and self-harm. The flat had been quiet for a change, possibly a boon to the neighbors given Severus antics late into the night from his still lingering night terrors and mood swings to his almost insatiable need to have her in the dead of night, not that she was offering much complaint given the situation.

Currently, Severus had been lying on the sofa reading over a muggle book in a bid to amuse himself. The bushy haired witch ventured toward him and took her place on the sofa. Snape had been stretched out like a rather large cat with an amusing expression on his face as he began to lose interest in the book he had been reading.

"That book was absolute rubbish." he muttered slamming it shut and casting it back into the shelf via his wand less magic.

"What book was it?" asked Hermione as inquisitive as usual.

"There was no book...just rubbish between two covers." replied Snape annoyed. "I won't even insult your ears by mentioning it."

Hermione shook her head not at all closer to understanding her strange lover than she had been when he was merely her terrifying Potions Professor.

"We'll be having dinner with The Malfoys next week." she said casually. "Perhaps that will cheer you up."

"You know what will cheer me up witch." replied Snape with a malicious smirk filed across his sallow pale face.

"Don't you dare..." she said narrowing her amber eyes at him. "I'm still recovering from the last few rounds I'll have you know and I'd like to be able to walk during work in the morning."

Snape gave something of a pouting expression that quickly dissolved. Hermione nearly laughed but recalled why he had made it. Their relationship had reached far beyond mere sexual gratification but every now and again, Severus enjoyed trying her patience.

"It's just as well." he muttered defeated. "I was starting to feel some collective tenderness there anyway."

"Why don't you take a health potion?" asked Hermione confused.

"Frequent use of said health potion would ensure that I not be able to use it in the future." said Snape annoyed further by her forgetting one of the basic rules of potions use.

"Even though you are still very much a git, I am rather proud of you and the progress you've made as of late." said the witch meaningfully.

"I suppose you being an insufferable know it all isn't that much of a nuisance." said Snape as Hermione kissed him softly on the lips. "If you hadn't been so determined to meddle in affairs that didn't concern you I wouldn't have survived the near assassination attempts in Azkaban."

"I love you too Severus." she said kissing him once more.

The witch stretched out on the sofa with her less than savory lover and rested her head against his chest. For all his muttering and annoyance, Snape wrapped his arms around the young witch almost immediately. She could tell that he had been nervous about returning to the wizarding world. The place had been the source of a numerous amount of terrible memories for him, but also a few very good ones.

"I'll be right there with you." said Hermione sensing the tension in her lover's body given his tightly bound nerves.

"I know." he replied.

After a brief moment of silence, Hermione and Snape listened to the sound of the rain beating against the window. It wasn't long before the young witch's innate curiosity had gotten the better of her once more.

"Severus?" she said in her usual inquisitive fashion.

"What is it this time witch?" asked the former Potions Professor.

"Well...I told you all about myself and Viktor Krum...but you have yet to tell me whom it was that you gained your vast experience from." she said with her cheeks turning red.

Snape found himself quite amused as he noted how uncomfortable she was about asking him about his sexual history. Given all they had done together it was a wonder to find what could still make her cheeks turn colors.

"Are you sure you're ready to go down that road?" asked The Potions Master. "Last I checked you Gryffindors are a bit unhinged about certain matters...I would advise you to reconsider given my history is a bit more extensive than yours given my age and...former affiliations."

Hermione's amber eyes met his obsidian ones and a serious expression filed across her face.

"I want to know." she said showing that her resolve would not waver in this matter.

Snape sighed.

"Do note that I have had a good deal of women before you were even born." he said as if suddenly exhausted. "I would appreciate you not holding a grudge given that I didn't even know you during these times and when I did you and I were not exactly compatible back then."

"Tell me." said Hermione still plainly curious.

"Very well." replied Snape more than willing to be open about his former exploits given the progress he's made in his therapy sessions. "Since I have no fear of you blabbing my former conquests to your former Gryffindor mates...I suppose it could do little harm."

"You're stalling Severus." said the young witch noting his approach easily.

Snape smirked saying to himself just how Slytherin her thought process had been.

"The first witch I ever had was named Lily Evans." he admitted. "She and I were friends for a while and she apparently wanted to experience being a woman with all the talk going on it piqued her curiosity."

"Lily Evans?" said Hermione as her mind had begun to work.

The name seemed familiar but she couldn't really place it.

"You might note that she became Lily Potter in her later years." said Snape assisting her memory's recollection process.

The amber eyed witch stared at her lover in absolute shock.

"Harry's mother?" she said stunned.

Snape nodded.

"While it is not something that I like to brag about, Potter's mother and I did indeed have a sexual relationship." he said in an emotionless tone. "That was before she went chasing after Potter's father and forgot all about me."

"I'm so sorry Severus." said Hermione stroking his cheek. "If it's any constellation, she didn't know what she was missing."

Snape smirked pulling the young witch into a passionate kiss.

"Despite appearances to the contrary witch, I was well and truly over her for quite some time." he said. "Narcissa saw to that."

Draco's mother's name coming out of her lover's mouth had been another shock for the witch.

"Draco's mother?" she asked. "You were with Draco's mother too?"

"I was." replied Snape honestly. "Then she married Lucius."

"Have you been with her since?" asked Hermione finding herself a bit jealous given the nature of Narcissa Malfoy's seemingly infinite beauty and that she was still very much alive.

"I have." replied Snape honestly. "A drunken encounter shortly before I saved Draco's life...at the rate I was going she had known all to well that it was the only way she could reach me given she had chosen Lucius over myself all those years ago."

"What happened?" asked Hermione sensing a hint of sadness from her lover. "Why'd she leave you for Lucius?"

"She had not wanted to disappoint her family." replied Snape with an absent expression. "She was a _Pureblood_ from a prominent wizarding family, and I was simply a dirty half-blood wizard who's family was so poor they could scarcely afford food."

"I'm sorry." said Hermione noting her own sadness. "I can understand how much that must have hurt you."

"Lucius was her chosen match given the families rich history, his father arranged the marriage shortly before his death and the rest was history." continued Snape. "Needless to say, I spent a good deal of time enraged at the both of them...that was until the birth of Draco."

"You must have really loved him." said Hermione amazed by Draco's birth bringing about peace between Snape and what had been his only family.

"It was quite the opposite I'm afraid." replied Snape with a weary smile. "I couldn't stand him, he had been the very symbol of my heartbreak for a second time, but the little imp had a way of being persistent and adorable that could melt even the coldest of hearts...come to think of it, there seems to be a familiar pattern I am experiencing even now."

"Git." said Hermione playfully.

"Insufferable know it all." countered The Potions Master.

"I enjoy being with you, you know." said the young witch meaningfully. "And I have to say that I am rather glad that those other witches didn't know what they had in you, Severus...I can't imagine what my life would have been like if they had."

Snape kissed her hand and held her close to him.

"I'd have to say, Hermione Granger...all those years of frustration and disappointment were well worth it given this moment." he said in a pleasant tone. "I don't want to imagine a world where Weasley would have gotten his paws on you."

Hermione burst into giggles.

"You know about that?" she asked.

"Of course, anyone could see the fool practically drooling over you since third year." he muttered bitterly.

"Why Severus Snape are you jealous of Ronald Weasley?" asked Hermione still playful in her manner.

"That depends witch, Are you still jealous of Narcissa Malfoy?" he countered with an arched eyebrow.

"Git." said Hermione as she attempted to get up from the sofa only to find herself pulled back down onto her lover.

Snape's obsidian eyes met her amber ones as his expression turned instantly serious.

"I love you witch." he said. "I may have love for Narcissa but it is purely in a family sense...she is married to Lucius and they are quite happy together...You are my witch and I am more than pleased given the nature of our relationship and how it came about...I would not be alive today if not for you witch and I am quite capable of showing you my gratitude for such a courageous undertaking in saving me from not only Azkaban but myself as well."

Hermione had been silent as he continued given she had not known what to say.

"If given the choice to go through all of that over again I would in a heartbeat just to arrive at this peaceful outcome with a witch as brilliant as you in my arms." he said. "Do not doubt my devotion to you, you have earned it unlike some magically inclined individuals that I could name."

Feeling a bit more at peace, Hermione nodded her understanding as Snape pulled her up to him for another heated kiss.

"I take it that you are ready for dinner at Malfoy Manor." she said with a pleasant smile.

"Not quite." replied Snape with a mischievous grin. "I believe I need a bit more encouragement."

Hermione noted the flicker of heat behind his obsidian eyes and shook her head.

"What am I going to do with you wizard?" she asked stunned at the degree of his Slytherin tact once more.

"Keep me for all eternity." he replied smiling in a rather boyish manner.

"That sounds like a wondrous plan." she replied kissing him once more.

The sound of the rain had been comforting as the two continued to kiss ignoring how quickly their chat escalated into passion right there in the sitting room. In truth, Snape had been determined to prove just how much he preferred the slender young Hermione Granger in comparison to the other witches he had taken to bed. Of course she had not known about his trysts with Bellatrix and Charity Burbage but he thought it best to keep them out of it given that Bellatrix tortured the poor girl during the war and the late Charity Burbage was her former Muggle studies Professor.


	81. Chapter 80:The Bonds Of Family

**Chapter 80:** _ **The Bonds Of Family**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England, Wizarding World..._

 _ **R**_ agged gray stone had greeted Hermione Granger's amber eyes as she gazed upon the extremely horrid sight of the ghastly Malfoy family manor. It was quite clear that this place had once been a premiere manor in it's day but since the occupation of the despot Voldemort and the death eaters. Harry Potter and his assortment of justice seekers did all they could to punish the Malfoy clan for following Voldemort in the first place despite their later defection and assistance in saving Harry's life during the final stages of the war. Hermione Granger had done what she could to ensure they received a lighter sentencing given what happened to Severus Snape in the wake of her former best friend's power trip. She lost face with the final members of wizarding society that stuck with her during her defense campaign for Snape when she endorsed the Malfoys receiving lighter treatment.

She managed to get them their home back and although they were forbidden to have contact with any other death eaters, Severus Snape included given the fear of them collaborating in a bid the get revenge for their respective punishments. It had been the best she could come up with but it was all she could manage outside of keeping them away from the dementors and Azkaban altogether.

Snape had seemed composed as he gazed upon the last place where Charity Burbage met her bitter end via the dark lord's rage and his trusty serpent familiar. Draco had fainted that day, in the end neither Snape nor Lucius judged him too harshly. They combined effort along with Narcissa's insistence that Draco be kept far from their former lives and collective dark pasts as he grew had been quite successful.

The thick black oak doors with their rusted or tarnished gold emblems and chipped paint had been further indication of how far the once prominent Malfoy family had fallen. Hermione had thought it almost sad that Draco's life had been turned upside down so badly in the wake of the war. They might have had their differences but not even Draco deserved to have his parents murdered or tortured because of something they did not wish to be apart of.

The amber eyed witch watched as Snape waved his hand and the door's wards gave way allowing him to enter relatively easily.

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 _Entrance Hall, Malfoy Manor, Wizarding World..._

Hermione followed her lover into the white marble entrance hall of Malfoy Manor, it had been largely empty given that the pristine furniture that once decorated the hall had been sold and long ago to fund the war effort by the despot. The young witch could see what use to be a rather elegant set up before the war and guessed the Malfoys' hosted many a party during their initial reign of the most powerful and wealthy of the current wizarding families.

Draco had indeed come from good stock given that his blood could be traced back to the original sacred 28 wizarding families untainted by shame and ridicule, or at least it was until Voldemort saw to the Malfoy family's near on destruction.

Snape lead the witch into the sitting room where they were greeted by a Lucius Malfoy whom had worn his best suit in anticipation of seeing his little brother for dinner. Narcissa Malfoy had been as elegant as always and smiled rather warmly at Severus. Hermione was greeted as an old friend but she could tell there was a hint of something behind the older witch's eyes that had at first seemed unreadable.

"Delighted you could join us, Little brother." said Lucius with a warm smile.

He seemed more like his old charming Slytherin self given all he had suffered. Although, it was true that no one suffered more than Severus in the wake of Harry Potter's latest blunder.

"Lucius." said Severus greeting the senior Malfoy in return.

The two wizard's shared a hug which would no doubt have shocked Hermione when she was still a student of Hogwarts. Back then, she never would have imagined the irate Professor caring for anyone, let alone a pompous wealthy _Pureblood_ like Lucius Malfoy but of course she learned how wrong she had been about a lot of things in the wake of the war and her opinion of the Malfoy family had been one of them.

She had still been shocked to learn that Lucius once saved Severus' life when he nearly drowned as a child at the lake on Hogwarts grounds. He had no real motivation nor did he need to get his pristine clothes soiled but the senior Malfoy jumped into the murky water and pulled a frightened child Severus from below.

At the age of eleven, Severus Snape was a welcome addition to the Malfoy family which only consisted of Lucius then at the age of 21 and newly out of Hogwarts following his prefect term completed. The wealthy _Pureblood's_ father Abraxas had died some time Lucius left Hogwarts from a particularly lethal outbreak of Dragon-pox.

"Welcome to you as well little sister." said Lucius turning his attention to the young witch whom smiled at him. "Of course you know that we are all family now."

"I do." replied Hermione as Lucius pulled her into a brotherly hug.

He released her in time for her to see Snape make his way over to the ever elegant Narcissa Malfoy whom had been all to delighted to see him. Hermione could tell the older witch still held some residual emotion where Severus had been concerned. It still unnerved her to a degree that Draco's mother and her current lover had something more than what appeared to be a family relationship.

"It's been quite a while Severus." said Narcissa Malfoy with her chaotic dark eyes not so unlike her elder sisters as she gazed upon the former Potions Professor. "You've had quite a bit of trouble as of late I am told."

"It's good to see you too Cissy." said Snape kissing the elegant witch's hand in a gentlemanly fashion. "And the trouble is quite done away with thanks to Hermione."

Narcissa's eyes flickered before she turned to face the bushy haired young witch. She quickly read the situation with her keen womanly instincts.

"I see." she said in a pleasant tone despite the brief flicker behind her gaze. "So you are here as Severus' guest?"

"I suppose I am." replied Hermione not exactly knowing how to address the older witch.

"Well, welcome." said Narcissa. "I suppose you won't need private lodging for the night given that you are already sharing a bed with Severus."

"I suppose not." replied Hermione as a flicker of something passed through her own amber eyes.

A smirk filed across the Potions Master's face as she noted the jealousy arising from his former lover.

"Don't look now Severus, but I believe the woman fancy themselves in competition with each other." said the amused senior Malfoy.

Both wizards chuckled at the absurdity of the situation.

Draco greeted both Hermione, whom he immediately embraced as if the years of tormenting the witch when they were children had never occurred, and his uncle Severus, whom he embraced for the longest time.

"Uncle Severus." he said with his voice choked with emotion and gratitude.

The guilt of what became of his former Potions Professor in the wake of the man saving him from a certain death at the hands of their enemies and the despot Voldemort as well.

"Draco." said Snape in as soft a tone as Hermione had ever heard him speak.

The ebony clad former Headmaster of Hogwarts allowed his emotionally devastated nephew and godchild to embrace him.

"It's alright Draco." said Snape once more in a soft tone as tears streamed down the junior Malfoy's cheeks.

Neither Lucius nor Narcissa said much during this moment knowing all too well what the treatment of Severus Snape at the hands of the wizarding world and Harry Potter had done to their only son.

"I'm alright Draco." said Snape patting the younger wizard's back. "As you can see Hermione has managed to take good care of me."

Hearing this, the junior Malfoy turned his attention to the bushy haired witch with a surprisingly sympathetic expression on her face.

"Thank you." he said before embracing his former long-time enemy. "Y-You don't know what it means to me to see him happy for a change."

The young witch had been shocked when Draco pulled her into his arms in a bid to express his gratitude as opposed to offering a family greeting.

Once the greetings were over, everyone filed into their respective areas of the house. Lucius and Snape ventured off toward Lucius' study, Narcissa and Hermione were left to their conversation in the sitting room and Draco headed back to his bedroom.

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 _Sitting Room, Malfoy Manor, Wizarding World..._

It had been a bit awkward sitting across from Narcissa Malfoy as she mentally sized her up and attempted a brief comparison between the two of them. There was a lot to be intimidated by given the older witch's elegant looks and proper lady-like manner. Perhaps it was the Gryffindor in her or the outright possessiveness she felt over Severus but she refused to be anything other than an equal in this woman's eyes. For her part, Narcissa Malfoy had been silently gazing at the clock on the wall for several minutes. She had not truly known what to say to the younger witch whom had done more for her former lover than even she had given his state of mind after the war.

"So." said Narcissa attempting to make conversation.

"So." repeated Hermione trying her best not to appear as out of place as she felt.

"Quite the interesting development wouldn't you say?" said Narcissa immediately getting to the point. "You and Severus."

Hermione nodded knowing all too well that the witch wasn't too thrilled about her new found relationship with her former lover.

"About as interesting as finding out about you and Severus I'd say." countered the younger witch.

"Quite insatiable isn't he?" replied the elegant witch with something akin to amusement filed across her beautiful face.

"Very." replied Hermione.

Both witches suddenly shared a knowing laugh. It pleased the amber eyed witch to know that the Lady of the manor did not have any ill will toward her due to her relationship with Severus.

"I don't know how you deal with it." said Narcissa amused. "He was bloody exhausting even when we were teenagers...of course that was a long time ago."

Hermione nodded. She made no mention of knowing that the elegant witch and her lover were together at some point during the war. It was more an act of desperation and a desire for the possible last night of something to look forward to beyond death and agony. In the years since the war's end, Narcissa quietly returned to her life with her family but often thought of how alone Severus must have been.

"If you will permit me to speak of it, I am rather glad that he has you." said Narcissa meeting the younger witch's gaze. "Merlin only knows what he would have gotten up to had you not come along and saved him from his retched self, I suppose I can see the appeal of a brooding sod such as he, quite charming when you get to know him isn't he?"

"That he is." agreed Hermione with a smile as she thought back to how charming Severus Snape can be if given the notion.

"Well...now that...that is out of the way, would you like a bit of tea?" asked the elegant _Pureblood_ witch.

"Please." replied the amber eyed younger witch.

Despite her initial feelings about her lover having been with the beautiful elegant witch, Hermione had been more than pleased when it appeared that the lady of Malfoy manor graciously accepted her new found relationship with Severus Snape.

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 _Lucius Malfoy's Study, Malfoy Manor, Wizarding World..._

Severus Snape sat back on his oldest and dearest friend's comfortable sofa. It amazed him as he looked around that the study was the only place other than the main Malfoy bedrooms untouched by the massive death eater horde. It smelled of fire and cigar smoke with a hint of firewhiskey. Snape sighed as he took in the sight of the old place. The dark red wall paper and brown leather furniture ever bit as ghastly as the day he first entered this place. Of course Lucius tastes have always been the same since he was 21 years of age. He had the walls turned red in a bid to annoy his father whom had them forest green during his tenure as Master of Malfoy Manor.

"It's good to see you doing so well, little brother." said Lucius handing Snape a cigar.

It was clear that both men had known better days but they seemed the happiest they had ever been since they were children. The respective witches they found themselves in the company of possibly having something to do with taming their former wild streaks, well in Snape's case it was only to some degree while Lucius was tempered with age as well as marriage.

"I must admit, this horrid room is starting to grow on me." said Snape taking the cigar and putting it to his pale lips.

Lucius chuckled knowing all too well how Severus detested his decorating scheme.

"Perhaps those years in Azkaban have livened up your tastes." he offered in an amused tone.

"In the case of a certain bushy haired know it all, that is most undeniably true." said Snape in an amused tone as well. "Of course agreeing with your horrid taste is a definite sign of age old sod."

Again Lucius chuckled putting his own cigar to his lips.

The senior Malfoy poured each of them a round of firewhiskey and sat in relative silence for a few moments taking in the roaring fire before them.

"It seems like a life time ago when we were last able to just sit for a bit." said Lucius being the first to break the silence.

"Indeed." replied Snape in agreement. "I suppose it was more than one life time for me given my status after the war."

"You do understand that we were not intentionally avoiding you." said Lucius meeting Snape's eyes.

"I do." replied the former Potions Professor sipping his firewhiskey. "I bare no ill will toward you or any one else at the moment."

"Not even that twit Potter?" asked Lucius not hiding his disgust for the boy at all.

"Not even the self-absorbed brat that is Potter." replied Snape with a grin. "Needless to say, it is because of that idiot boy that I am...contented as of late."

"His folly with Miss Granger...Hermione is quite the blunder on his part." said Lucius sipping his own firewhiskey.

"Indeed it was." replied Snape with a wicked smirk. "I did so enjoy your petty torment of him and his Weasley friend."

"I can't take all the credit, your performance was to die for." chucked the senior Malfoy.

Both Slytherin's shared a collective laugh thinking back to that afternoon Lucius tricked the idiotic Gryffindor brats into walking in on Severus and Hermione back at Dumbledore Manor.

The peace of the evening had been welcome by all accounts.

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 _Later..._

Snape and Hermione joined the Malfoy clan at the family table, much different from the one where Charity Burbage had been killed by the serpent Nagini and many a death eater meeting occurred. It was a known fact that the Malfoys still had flashbacks to that dreadful time and since decided to make some immediate changes to their household. One of the changes was to get rid of the old dining room set. For the most part, dinner passed by with the only sounds being of silverware clanking against expensive china and chewing.

Seeing to be dead tired of the silence, Narcissa was the first to break it.

"It's about time we had another woman in the family." she said smiling at Hermione. "Of course I will have to teach you a thing or two about dealing with Slytherin men but you'll do just fine Hermione, and don't let Severus get away with anything because once you do he'll always look for an easy way out of trouble."

Snape turned his attention to his former lover.

"Sod off woman, the last thing this one needs is your fine tuning." he muttered after shoving a fork into his newly cut steak.

"All the more reason for her to gain the advantage." replied Narcissa. "Isn't that right dear?"

Lucius said nothing as he quickly gulped down a bit of steak from his own plate in a bid not to reply.

Draco shook his head noting how bitter his godfather was at his mother's meddling and the amusing sight of his father squirming beneath her emboldened gaze.

"And you Draco, need to go about finding yourself a good witch to marry." said Narcissa. "I will no longer have this house be male dominated...I think it's high time we witches had our equal say around here."

"The bloody muggle feminist movement has reached the wizarding world." muttered Snape again driving his fork into his steak.

"Indeed it has." replied Hermione with a confident smile.

The Potions Master narrowed his eyes at her.

"Don't you get any bright ideas, insufferable know it all." he replied.

"You still allow him to call you that?" asked Narcissa with an arched eyebrow.

"I throw in an occasional greasy git comment when needed." replied Hermione. "Contrary to what some might believe, I am no where close to a wall flower little wall flower."

"No...she is not." agreed Snape knowing how violent Hermione could get if provoked. "Isn't that right Draco?"

The junior Malfoy rolled his gray eyes at his Godfather's comment.

"I see no point in drudging up ancient history." he muttered. "By the way did you get a new cloak or did you mend it after Granger burned it during first year?"

Snape narrowed his eyes at his godson.

There was laughter around the table that didn't include the ebony clad wizard.

"Rest assured there will be compensation." he muttered with heat behind his obsidian gaze. "And I full intend to seek restitution for the other transgressions as well."

Hermione felt her belly somersault at the implication of dark promise in her lover's tone. He had been so very good at making her become undone that she hardly had a defense against it. Snape smirked knowing all too well that he'd soon have the last laugh before the night was through.


	82. Chapter 81:Road To Recovery

**Chapter 81:** _ **Road To Recovery**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...sorry for the delay...but this is the end of this story...at least until the epilogue...for the moment I am preparing another fanfic called Heart Of Shadows SSHG...I look forward to everyone's interest concerning that tale...until then...here's the conclusion of Vinctus SSHG...Thank you all for your interest...}-S.S.**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"Do you ever think about running away...'cause I was thinkin' about leavin' today...We'll follow forever where our hearts wanna go...Maybe we'll live somewhere where nobody knows our names...Then things might change for the good...I wanna be somewhere so far away...To lie under the night at the end of another good day...I can't tell you how long we'll be gone...But as long as we're together then forever is never too long...forever is never too long..."} Runaway, Three Doors Down**_

 _Dr. Hartley's Office, Unknown Location, Unknown World..._

 _ **O**_ nce again Severus Snape's obsidian eyes glanced at the clock along the far wall of Dr. Hartley's office. She had been going over his paperwork and comparing his sessions from the first moment he was asked to see her by Hermione following a violent night terror and now. The Potions Master had never grown used to such a place still choosing to fold his arms across his chest, only he appeared in more muggle oriented attire as opposed to his formidable ebony frock coat and trousers. He still chose the color black, given his abrasive personality it was never questioned. As for Dr. Hartley, she was more of the same leggings, women's shoes matching her skirt and blazer. Today she had been inclined to wear teal, a color that caused Snape to roll his eyes as soon as he spotted her. To him she looked worse than a tasteless librarian.

"Well Severus, it looks like you have improved significantly since our first session." she said still skimming through her notes. "Anything interesting you wish to talk about this afternoon?"

"Nothing as side from me being thrilled that this is that last time I have to step foot in this blasted office." muttered Snape still annoyed with having to be analyzed.

"How are things with Hermione?" asked Dr. Hartley.

"They are as they should be." replied Snape.

"Not wishing to go into detail?" she asked making a few marks in the note book.

"She takes my cock regularly is that detail enough for you doctor or should I described the many ways she indulges?" replied Snape turning his attention back to the clock.

As he had come to expect, his snide comment had no effect whatsoever on the unbelievably bland woman as she continued to scribble away at her notebook.

"I hear you are mentoring a young woman in Cokeworth." said Dr. Hartley. "Eileen Hillar."

"That is correct, only now she is attending Hogwarts." replied Snape. "She's been sorted into Slytherin as a matter of fact."

Dr. Hartley detected a hint of pride behind that remark and was sure to mention it.

"It sounds as if you are proud of this girl." she said. "Does this mean you my one day reconsider your stance on wither or not you wish to have children?"

"I am proud that my apprentice is an Slytherin." replied Snape. "That does not mean that I've gone and lost my mind...dealing with children is the last thing I need at this point...I just got my life back after all."

"Understandable." replied Dr. Hartley. "I suppose it was just a curiosity driven question as opposed to a medical one."

"Stick to the medical questions doctor...it's much better for your health." muttered Snape still annoyed.

"Will do." replied Dr. Hartley. "So...It appears your mental health hasn't been an issue for quite some time now...learning to let go of all that guilt and rage appears to have done you a world of good."

"I've done what I could to atone for my mistakes." he replied. "Now I am focusing on simply living, the war is over and I am cleared of all false charges due to the idiot boy Potter and my apparently long lost Grandfather."

"Are you still plagued with night terrors?" asked Dr. Hartley.

"Not anymore." replied Snape noting how free he had been for the first time in a long time. "Aside from unwanted irritation, I hardly feel rage any more either."

"Judging by the progress you've made I'd say you were healthy enough to continue to lead a normal life if you so desired...although children with your stress levels are not a good mix."

"Don't I know it." said Snape agreeing with the Doctor for the first time since his arrival.

"Well Severus...I guess this is goodbye." said Dr. Hartley. "I wish you and Hermione every happiness."

Snape got to his feet.

"I'll be sure and pass that along." he said. "Thank you...Claire."

Dr. Hartley smiled for the first time since his arrival. He had referred to her by her first name as if she had been a dear friend, a feat very rare for a man like Severus Snape, she should know...she use to be one of his students back at Hogwarts. Due to her association with Hermione Granger, she found out a good deal about her former Potions Professor than she ever cared to realize. The conclusion of their time gave her quite a different perspective of the man she once called Professor.

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 _Open Road, Unknown Location, Unknown World..._

The sapphire sky had loomed above a traveling black, two-seater, muggle convertible with the top down as it made it's way down a long and winding stretch of highway. The driver had been contented to wear a white t-shirt showing off his pale arms barely kissed by the sun and shades with his lengthy raven hair pulled back in a ponytail in a bid to keep it out of his face as the car traveled. Beside him was a young woman with unruly brown hair wearing a multi-pink colored flower sundress and a pair of hot pink shades. There were smiles on their faces and they enjoyed the ride.

The car pulled up to what appeared to be a bed and breakfast as the couple continued to chat and enjoy the cool breeze that enveloped them due to the drive. The young woman had been ecstatic as they parked the car and the man made his way over to the trunk taking out what appeared to have been their luggage.

"I can't wait to get inside." she said pleasantly taking in the fresh air and country charm the place had to offer.

"I'll bet you can't." replied her companion as he took the luggage into his arms and they entered the bed n breakfast.

The young woman made her way up to the front counter.

The clerk had been an average looking man with brown eyes and a pleasant expression. He wore a vest with no tie and a good clean shirt beneath it and matching trousers.

"Hello...welcome to Colton's B&B." he said with an equally pleasant tone. "I'm Rodger Colton, how may I help you this fine afternoon?"

"Well, my husband and I have made reservations." said the young woman with an equally pleasant smile of her own.

The clerk Rodger got out his ledger and examined the names on the list.

"Might I ask your names?" he said still checking the ledger.

"Prince." replied the man sitting the suitcases down. "Sebastian and Penelope Prince."

The young woman smiled gripping her husband by the arm. Her shiny new silver wedding band had been accompanied by a small but noticeable diamond on a silver band.

Rodger smiled upon recognizing their names.

"Here it is, Sebastian and Penelope Prince...Room 204." he said pleasantly. "It seems you're booked for the weekend as well."

"That we are." replied the man known as Sebastian with a smirk in his young wife's direction.

She returned his smile and he watched as the clerk retrieved the keys to their room.

"Dinner is at seven and I don't suppose you two would be interested in this evening's entertainment?" said the chatty clerk.

"Dinner we'll make but I can't promise anything more." said Sebastian once more looking over at his wife. "We might have our own ideas in terms of entertainment."

Rodger nodded understanding the way of most married couples that venture to this place.

"Well in case you change your mind, we'll be having a live band a bit later on." he said. "If you will please follow me, I'll show you to your room."

Sebastian grabbed the luggage and Penelope followed Rodger up the stairs and down the hall to room 204.

"Well here you are." said Rodger. "If you need anything I'll be at the desk until noon...if you can't find me I'm only a call away."

"Thanks Rodger." replied Penelope sweetly. "We'll do that."

Her amber eyes lit up as she entered the bedroom, it was a beautiful place with a white four poster bed and light blue drapes and covers. The pillows had been plush and a mixture of different shades of blue much like the majority of the decor. Even the flowers were blue as they occupied various blue colored vases.

She stepped across the light wood colored floor and opened the window to an incredible view of the yard and the countryside below.

"Do you like it?" asked Sebastian standing at the door.

He had put the luggage into the room and had stopped to catch his breath for a moment when he noticed the breath taking scene before him.

"It's quite a cozy place." replied Penelope with a smile. "Just like I imagined it'd be."

"Only the best for my wife." replied Sebastian as he removed his dark sunglasses.

His newly revealed obsidian eyes met those vibrant amber of his wife as she made her way over toward the bed. He watched her playfully test out the comfort of the bed lying amid the numerous pillows. It had been a definite contrast with pink of her dress and the blue of the pillows mixed with white.

"I'm sure you must be weary dear, will you come to rest in my little bed?" asked Penelope with a sweet smile. "There are pretty curtains drawn around, the sheets are fine and thin, and if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in."

"Said the Spider to the Fly." said Sebastian with a smirk as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

This was going to be quite the weekend indeed for the newly weds. Although there was no telling when the charming little bushy haired spider would ever let the reluctant fly out of her web. As Sebastian made his way toward his waiting wife he knew that there was no place in this world or the next that he would rather have been.

Somewhere in the wizarding world... Albus Dumbledore had smiled noting the magical loom before him showed Severus Sebastian Snape and Hermione Jean Granger had been linked in a marital bond. His blue eyes twinkled as a pleasant smile filed across his aged face.

The former lonely boy that once stalked the shadowed halls of Hogwarts had finally found his abundant happiness and that was quite alright with him.

THE END?


	83. Chapter 82:Sailed Ships

_**Chapter 82: Sailed Ships**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's Another Update...The Epilogue Part I...because Olivia Williams wanted to see a reaction LOL...}  
**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 ** _{"I don't wanna play no games...You don't gotta be afraid...Don't give me all that shy shit...No make-up on...That's my...Sugar...Yes, please (please)...Won't you come and put it down on me (down on me)?...I'm right here (right here), 'cause I need ('cause I need)...Little love, a little sympathy...So, baby, (yeah) you show me good loving...Make it alright...Need a little sweetness in my life..."}Sugar, Maroon 5_**

 _Bedroom,Unknown Location, Unknown World..._

 **W** armth from the sun had never been so enticing as the former Potions Professor of Hogwarts, Severus Snape stood near the rather large window to his given room. His exposed pale form had not been bothered by the nipping of the morning chill as he watched a bird fly off in the distance. To say he had found peace after what seemed like a lifetime of war was a vastly maintained understatement. The silver band on his ring finger was all the proof one needed to constitute the formerly haunted wizard as being contented if anything. The numerous scars that lined his pale flesh from various scuffles during his time at war were not appealing in the least. His lean muscular frame had been well hidden for years by the ebony teaching robes he wore often as well as the attire that became his initial trademark given one's inability to prank him in it.

The Potions Master's lengthy raven locks had grown out passed the tips of his shoulders as he turned to note the shuffling that had come from the large bed in the center of the room. A small smile crept across his sallow pale face kissed with five o' clock shadow. He turned toward the bed as the outstretched limbs and unruly hair of his young wife had come into view from beneath the rather large comforter that she curled up under.

Without a word, Snape made his way back toward the bed, knowing full well she'd awaken in a bid to look for him if he stayed away too long. He slipped beneath the covers and maneuvered his lean form between her slender thighs. A short moan escaped her soft pink lips and seemed to invite him in for a kiss as he decided to take his time kissing up her pleasant frame in long slow pecks.

She shifted again and moaned a second time as she rolled onto her back unwittingly making her husband's efforts a lot easier.

"Severus." she moaned in sleep.

He smiled against her soft warm flesh as he continued to peck at her with deliberate slowness.

Her scent had even been enticing as he brought himself up to kiss her lips and aimed his aching appendage into the depths of her warmth. Hermione Granger-Snape's eyes widened as she felt her eager husband thrust and he nearly collapsed on her from the sensation of overwhelming pleasure.

"Oh." she gasped with her amber eyes still wide in a mix of shock and pleasure as the pale wizard continued to thrust back n forth as he nibbled at her exposed neck.

A low grunt escaped him as she continued to drive her forward on their shared bed with relative power no random observer would have ever guessed he'd be capable of.

"Fuck..." he hissed losing himself to his more savage instincts as he continued to please both himself and his young wife with urgency.

He knew what she needed.

He had always known even before he had brought her to this place and they fought their own silent war to reclaim his sanity. The night terrors had still lingered but their sting had not been as piercing. As much as Snape had enjoyed bedding the brilliant little witch, he remained adamant about not having to sire children.

"Hermione..." he moan as he continued to pound into her warmth.

The sound of the headboard beating against the wall had been matched by the springs of the mattress as the act continued to become more desperate as each of the participants got closer to their peak.

"Mine." he growled as he continued to pound into his willing witch.

"S-Sev..." she could hardly finish before her body was gripped by a mind numbing explosion that dulled her senses.

Snape grunted once more before she felt the warmth as second time spreading within her.

"Fuck." he hissed once more as the haze subsided.

The sweat drenched couple gasped for breath as Severus pressed his pale lips into her soft pink ones.

"Y-You could have awoken me first." said Hermione looking into his eyes as she continued to kiss him back.

"This was a much more pleasing approach." he replied in his own defense.

Still evidently winded, Snape continued to hold himself up as the last of his seed filled her willing depths.

"It's a good thing I took that contraception potion." said Hermione moaning a little as he shifted some inside her.

"I would have to agree." replied Snape still reveling in the sensation of being surrounded by her warmth. "Wouldn't want to have to deal with the ramifications of little urchins running a muck."

"My children would not be urchins...git." she said kissing him once more.

" I beg to differ." hissed Snape thrusting forward one last time before pulling away from her.

Exhausted, he rolled onto his back beside her on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"I'd like to see more of the countryside." said Hermione scooting closer to him and stroking his chest softly with her delicate hand.

Snape closed his eyes relishing the satisfaction that continued to move through him.

"And where would you like to go?" he asked still with his eyes closed as she continued to run her fingers all over him.

"I want to see something besides this bedroom for Merlin's sake." said Hermione sitting up. "We are on our honeymoon after all."

"We just got here witch...and if I recall...the moment we closed the door you were eager to get me into bed." he said in his own defense.

"Well...I wanted to see what it was like to have marital rights." said Hermione with a flicker of heat behind her amber eyes.

"Did you really?" asked Snape opening his own eyes of obsidian and maneuvering to sit back against the head board.

Hermione giggled a bit and nodded.

"Well, you can have first crack at the shower." said the sleepy wizard. "I'll be along in a bit."

Snape had attempted to drift back off to sleep feeling the bed shift as his new wife made her way toward the loo.

He had not known how long he had drifted off before he opened his eyes once more to find a full dressed Hermione standing before him with her hands on her slender hips.

A mischievous grin filed across his sallow pale face as he sat up pulling the witch into his heated kiss before moving toward the loo.

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 _Carlton's Bed And Breakfast, Unknown World..._

Hermione pulled her new husband's hand as they traveled toward what looked to be a pier. Snape had not been much for open water but he moved along the pier at his wife's behest. She had been astounded to see the ships moving in and out of the harbor. The sun had been hot and beaming down on the two of them.

"Let's take a boat." said Hermione excited as one was coming in from the ocean.

"Alright." replied Snape with a growl. "But I'd better be getting something out of this ordeal."

"Slytherin git." said Hermione laughing as she pulled him close to her. "Always the grouch and to think we started this day off on a lovely note."

Snape pulled the witch closer to him and crushed his pale lips into her soft pink ones.

"We can always play a few lovely notes later in the day." he replied kissing her neck.

As the boat returned to the docks, a seemingly embittered couple had gotten off. They attempted to walk passed Snape and Hermione before the man suddenly stopped noting how familiar the woman had been kissing the older man.

"H-Herm-Own-Ninny?" he asked looking her over in disbelief the girl he knew never would have bothered getting into anything a revealing as a bathing suit. Let alone in a public place where people could look over her body.

Hermione Granger-Snape smirked when she noted her ex had been the man staring at her and her current husband. She sighed when Snape wrapped his arms around her waist and looked up into the eyes of Viktor Krum.

"Hello Viktor." said Hermione casually. "it's nice to see you doing well, and I'm sure you recall my husband."

The words seemed to catch him off guard.

"H-Husband?" he asked unsure he heard her right.

"That's right Mr. Krum." replied Snape still meeting the eyes of the younger former death eater. "She is Hermione Snape now."

The younger wizard seemed a bit down as the reality of his idiotic decision to leave his former lover set in.

"Well...I suppose congratulations are in order sir." he replied rather amicably.

Snape ignored the younger wizard's hand and turned his attention to kissing Hermione's neck causing her to giggle and press her body against him.

"If you will excuse us Mr. Krum...I have a very willing wife to fuck." he said turning her around to face him and lifting her up off the ground.

Hermione continued to giggle as she wrapped her legs around his waist for support. He carried her toward one of the empty boats feeling about as eager as a teenager to have her again. Viktor took his leave chasing after his current girl friend despite wondering in the back of his mind what would have happened if he had not abandoned her when she was trying to do the right thing by the war weary Potions Professor.

Unfortunately for him, that ship had long since sailed and the new captain had been Severus Snape.


End file.
